I don't think there's an issue but I don't know for sure. It's a good question.

It's not like the entire time of distance school attendance is spent in the equivalent of a video conference call. A lot of the vendor supplied content is hosted, there are websites the kids access with content of the various subjects that get served up a page at a time. Subsequent entries by the students and page scrolling represent very small bits of data. Even when a live image is involved, I think most sites automatically scale down resolution to reduce bandwidth required if necessary to accommodate attendees.

But a good question all the same. I think most of the content comes from the suppliers (not the school systems themselves) and most of them outsource the data center and bandwidth needs to the large players in that market. Both Google and Amazon (its subsidiary AWS, believe it or not) are very large players in the data center business.

Here in WV, most students couldn't use zoom. Many of us must still use dishes--no broad band--and where there is broad band it's very slow if a lot of people are using it. I've been in the Conservation Office when it was so slow they couldn't load the maps they wanted to show me. They say it's like that often.

And that doesn't even factor in those families that have no internet at all.

ZOOM isn't the only game out there. We used Google meet for all our classes last spring. Our local internet provider/telephone company did go into a panic when it heard we were headed into 'internet distance learning'. They knew they hadn't planned for such a load on their systems. They quickly beefed up and all went well.

All 3 carriers in my area have been busy with new lines, installations, etc.

They have started installing in the rural areas that had no coverage before.

Not sure how it would all be if everyone was trying to get on at once...but

looks like they are trying. Also, lots of areas still do not have underground

lines..not sure how that would be in heavy rain or snow storms if the lines

are compromised.

The universities, within Tennessee, made it through the end of the semester just fine, but it's all I can speak to. It's going to be an opportunity for some virtually run meeting company out there.

At the beginning of the stay at home & for a couple of month my internet was a mess. Lost connection, very slowwww. Nearly un-useable at certain times of day. According to my neighbor who said that a cable repairman had told him--we (neighbor & us) are near the end of the line (we do live near the edge of town)--the signal gets drained the farther down the line that you are.

If what I was told is true, it could well depend on where you are located on the system. As time went along, my internet returned to near normal. But by then, school was out (school year runs well into June here). Most likely the cable company also worked on the problem.

None the less, I'm hoping things are better when school starts again. I'm on the internet multiple times a day looking up something--how to fix something, online shopping, ordering parts, product reviews, background info on a book I'm reading, research about how to get rid of a lawn weed... When the internet doesn't work, I feel kinda' like I've lost my right arm!

Nope, not enough internet for video platform schooling. A lot of places got enough, but a lot of places are still lacking.

Jemdandy your forecast of the internet coming to a crawl the first day might happen. Then I think after the situation is reviewed, class times my be staggered throughout the day/week to lighten the load at any one time.

"A lot of places got enough, but a lot of places are still lacking."

Source?

Video platform learning worked fine when needed last Spring. For those who had access to the Internet. Many poor families still do not. Some cable companies did offer free Internet service (60 days) to those who qualify, but as of today I can not find where that has been extended.

I'm sure there are many places in the United States that don't have internet access, or only have unreliable dial-up internet service.

We lived in such a place for seven years. We lived in a rural valley surrounded by tree-covered hills, so no cable or satellite available. We only had very slow dial-up internet through the telephone company. A picture wouldn't load if it was too large, and forget about watching a video - not happening . We moved from there nine years ago, and it's probably no better there now. Thankfully, we now have high-speed cable internet .

We had no problem when school and college students relied on the internet to finish the last school year, so hopefully we won't have a problem when classes resume.

My nephew teaches in downtown MPLs. None of his students have internet access. They don't have homes to have access from. There are hot spots in MN that have no cable coverage thus no internet access. Where Video platform learning worked fine when needed last Spring that did not for the most part equate into LEARNING. Learning is a totally different issue and distant learning failed at it in most parts of these United States.

"Learning is a totally different issue and distant learning failed at it in most parts of these United States"

What's your source that distance learning failed "in most parts...."?

It seemed to work fine as far as I heard (not an extensive sample) from my family, friends, and their families in a few different parts of the country. A number of elementary teachers in that group who were generally satisfied. One school district in a nearby low income area provided Chromebooks to students to use at home.

A lot of classroom schoolwork these days is PC based anyway. Doing the same from home and being monitored by teachers (also at home) wasn't necessarily that big of a change and seemed to be common this past Spring. But yes, problematic for two working parent households.

We never saw any proof that distant learning failed here in our district of Central Florida.

Chromebooks are useless if you have no internet. Our internet connection is very slow, only one provider in our area and they refuse to upgrade our area. Many of our students have no access. The schools have set up WiFi in the parking lots, when it’s 100 degrees I am not sure how that will work for an entire school day.

My area is good in that families can afford or otherwise have access to the internet. There are so many other families out there who don't have that access. I'm not sure what happens for them.

Online learning didn't fail here. It's not my preferred method for the kids to learn. They are missing out on so much.

There are plenty of children at home with no "at home" teachers, because they are back at work. Online classes will be hit and miss for some of them. Sadly, my teenage grandson is one of them. He's playing more videogames than paying attention to home school.

Everyone is using zoom these days, even my rose club and motorcycle club have zoom meetings. I think there might be more seniors than students using zoom, the seniors in my clubs are like online wizards, they are super good. :-) Not all college classes can be online.

donna loomis, is a lack of interest in school a new problem for your grandson? Teenagers shouldn't need proctors.

LOL I would with 20+ years in public schools disagree with all I've got, Elmer. ESPECIALLY today's teens who have little interest in doing what adults would have them do and social media and the internet demanding more and more of their focus.

My friend teaches art. School starts Monday......and....she's terrified that kids will opt for schooling on the internet at home....and she'll be out of job....2 years before she planned on retiring. Her back up plan is, she can "buy-out"...retire with less. So she's gonna be OK....it's just sad she's stressed.

Elmer, sometimes you just make me laugh. Sure. Unattended teenagers always do what they're supposed to do. As Mom and Dad leave for work, the children are reminded that their chores should be done by the time the parents get home. And the chores are always completed when Mom and Dad come home. Not. Sometimes parents are surprised when a police officer knocks on their door because their child has been picked up for vandalizing something, stealing something, hurting someone, etc.

When both parents have to work in order to make ends meet, all members of a family may suffer.

From the website YouAreMom:

Being left alone for a large part of the day can lead to behavioral disorders, obesity, depression and difficulty expressing feelings, among other issues.

Latchkey kids can also suffer physical symptoms. These include altered sleep patterns, appetite loss, weight loss and gastrointestinal disorders.

As a result, academic performance and behavior at school are also likely to be affected.

You missed my point but I think you've answered my question unintentionally.

I was trying to get a sense of the kid's attitude and the same of his parents. My experience is that people who take a "Que sera, sera" approach to parenting will find far more unwanted conduct and outcomes than those who provide tighter oversight and structure. Every kid is different and one size doesn't fit all but dealing with teenagers can't be done with an autopilot or a hands-off approach. These don't work well. Especially not now.

Today's situation is awful, difficult for everyone to deal with, some do better than others and some are doing VERY poorly. But it sounds like this is not the root of the kid's issues and unwanted behaviors.

Elmer, I did not miss your point and I did not answer your question. Every bad act a child performs is not a parent's fault. As you said, "Every child is different." And no parent is perfect. We shouldn't presume to know any parent's child raising style without knowing a thing about them.

I agree, kids need "hands on", which is much more difficult when parents are away from home much of the time and would like some "me" time when they come home. It's a catch 22.

And you know absolutely NOTHING about my grandson, other than what I wrote, or his single parent.

No, I don't know either your grandson or the situation and I don't need to. I remarked because what you described didn't seem to necessarily be related to the events of the past few months and you've perhaps confirmed that.

Yes, parents aren't necessarily responsible for a teenager's bad acts. Not necessarily but often so. A pattern of repeated unwanted behavior is not a "things can happen" matter to stand back and accept and let pass without intervention. As I'm sure you know.

Best wishes to all concerned.

I think it will be okay. They did it all spring in most areas. My concern is poor kids not having internet access.