This Fall, Classrooms Will Be Too Crowded. Theaters and Malls Will Be Empty. We See a Solution., New York Magazine critic Justin Davidson wrote yesterday.
He notes proposed solutions to overcrowding like using school buildings in shift over a longer day, as well as distance learning via Zoom. He writes:
Davidson allows that such tactics, along with others, would bring enormous questions about rules, cleanliness, and more. He's not wrong that such unused spaces could be repurposed--whether for school or other uses--but the caveats obviously deserve attention.
One posted comment:
He notes proposed solutions to overcrowding like using school buildings in shift over a longer day, as well as distance learning via Zoom. He writes:
A third would be to expand the school system’s footprint into every available corner of unused urban space. Erect unused party tents in the parking lot at Citi Field. Put up the Frieze Art Fair tent on Randalls Island. Recycle the plywood that covered storefronts into classroom partitions on the floor of the Javits Center and Piers 92 and 94. Divide the Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory into learning bubbles. Repurpose gyms. Make the shuttered Shops at Hudson Yards earn their subsidies. Spread kids through David Geffen Hall and Radio City Music Hall and scatter them around the stands at the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden. Commandeer the city’s abundance of darkened theaters and already perfect black-box spaces. Venues that can’t welcome performers or audiences until a vaccine arrives could serve as temporary schools, safely accommodating, say, 200 students in a space with 1,000 seats. And if the city and state paid even nominal rent, that would pump some money into venues that are withering a little further with every idle day.(Emphasis added)
Davidson allows that such tactics, along with others, would bring enormous questions about rules, cleanliness, and more. He's not wrong that such unused spaces could be repurposed--whether for school or other uses--but the caveats obviously deserve attention.
One posted comment:
This may work for colleges and universities that rely on lecture based teaching. However, for k-12 this would be developmentally inappropriate. Yes, getting schools reopened should be a huge priority but it is not as politicians favor the opening of bars and restaurants to schools. Until community spread is under control, opening schools is negligent and will cause many unnecessary deaths. I also find it hard to believe that you really prioritize this that much if you are waiting until a month before schools are supposed to open to present any ideas. And also, for anyone who needs to hear this, getting kids "out of parent's hair" is an unacceptable reason for teachers to die.Responses on Twitter
How will spacing 200 kids in a 1000 seat theater be different than zoom? Public venues don’t have better AC filtration (my modern, open seating office in the Yards doesn’t). Bathrooms, lunch, exercise, small kid behaviors, all still issues.— kathleen (@rowmama) July 7, 2020
Can people with absolutely no background or qualification in education/teaching stop coming up with genius solutions?? You clearly have NO idea what it means/takes to teach - you obviously just assume that all it takes is to just go into a classroom and blabber on! Amazing.— e e o ü e e i e i (@omni_) July 7, 2020
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