No Thanksgiving break

Devil Doc said:
Do your students turn on their cameras? Mine do not. I “teach” to a gray screen with profile pics of Cardi B, Nicki Manage, and Jessica Rabbit. Oh, and a cute pic of a student’s infant. I agree, this online learning sucks.
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I require cameras on and almost all are complying. I have one or two with "camera problems" that have to connect via phone when I ask questions.
Some of my peers and our department head have said that its too much to ask for because economically disadvantaged, Yadda Yadda Yadda but my observation is that they all have computers and smartphones so I have no qualms about asking for cameras on. My wife has the same policy. Since we each upgraded our webcams last month, we have a couple of older cams that we're willing to loan out of needed and have offered them up but no takers thus far.
 
NavyHoops said:
We never got Thanksgiving, 3-4 days at Cmas, and never spring break. Patriot League tourney was that week. Summer leave we usually got a few weeks, but tried to always have a few players working camps (plus the $500/week was huge for me) and kept us in shape with conditioning and lifting. We often were in summer school too. My room mates my firstie year said they had no idea the kind of schedule we kept, how much class we missed and how much sleep we missed. They laughed and used to say... ‘All that work just to miss a few parades!’ I always chuckled at that. It was a lot of work, but I knew what I was getting into. It was all my choice and would not have traded the experience.
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Yup, I can't count the number of weekends that I lost all or part of as well as extra homework time, etc that my roommates took for granted.
 
Speaking of online vs in person learning, does anyone know when the mids will go back to regular classes?
Last I heard, the first six weeks was online. The rest TBD.
 
My dive back into academia after 29 years has landed me in online classes. The instructor has said that camera on makes for a better experience for him, but that it isn’t mandatory. However if he calls upon someone and they don’t reply it is listed as absent. Every week the same 3 of us have our cameras on. He can see us nod or thumbs up or down. The three of us that are on are all non traditional students. All over 40. The blank screens are either dual credit high school or first time college. When I was teaching last spring through Covid I required camera on. It isn’t as though they can’t hide their home environment with a green screen option.
 
I had no idea that virtual classes could be blank screens. Wow. That’s simply depressing. In my minds eye, I thought at least students would be seeing their classmates/teachers. My opinion of online just dropped.

BTW, @BrightSide, my plebe said his classeshad increasingly become live, and that the ‘deadline’ for them to all be in person was the end of this week. When I last talked to him (earlier last week), 3/4 were in person.
 
Seeing the official news about USNA and Thanksgiving and thereafter makes me wish West Point goes the same way.

We were told plans would be promulgated sometime next month.

I like USNA’s plan. Exams end right before Army-Navy and then done and home the rest of the year.

Unless plans change, my yuk will have final exams the week after Army-Navy and then come home. No announcements about Thanksgiving, but we parents have resigned to the fact the cadets won’t be allowed home. Personally, I’m good with the decision of the USMA leadership because whatever it’ll be is for the good of our cadets, West Point, and big Army.

Maybe West Point will mirror USNA’s plan so I can have my DD home a few days earlier.
 
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Skipper07 said:
Ensure your plebe realizes that if he goes on an LREC he is ineligible to study abroad later on. It is not communicated well but MIDN can only do one international program.
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Thanks for the tip. My Mid was unaware of this.
 
NavyHoops said:
We never got Thanksgiving, 3-4 days at Cmas, and never spring break. Patriot League tourney was that week. Summer leave we usually got a few weeks, but tried to always have a few players working camps (plus the $500/week was huge for me) and kept us in shape with conditioning and lifting. We often were in summer school too. My room mates my firstie year said they had no idea the kind of schedule we kept, how much class we missed and how much sleep we missed. They laughed and used to say... ‘All that work just to miss a few parades!’ I always chuckled at that. It was a lot of work, but I knew what I was getting into. It was all my choice and would not have traded the experience.
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That seems to be standard for basketball players. The ones I’ve known never had a Thanksgiving at home and often spent Christmas at a tournament. They were given “comp days” (I forget what they are called) during the school year but that hardly made up for it. They never had time over the summer for the “cool” things other Cadets did such as airborne school. Semester abroad? 😂🤣😂🤣
I’ve seen first hand the sacrifice Cadets and Midshipmen make to play varsity sports. But I think for basketball it’s even a step beyond what the normal athlete sacrifices.
 
Dr. Strange Love said:
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Thanksgiving is overrated ... and Turkey is not nearly as good as a Prime Rib at Christmas.
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Ummm, WHAT? Forgive the off topic dissent, but this spurious claim simply MUST be addressed. Thanksgiving is, in point of fact, the GREATEST of all holidays. I submit the following reasons:
  • It's an entire day focused on feasting.
  • Turkey (roasted, deep fried... I make no preference) is excellent and can stand on it's own
  • Turkey is also the delivery system for an entire MULTITIDE of delicious side dishes too numerous to mention here.
  • Pie. This one is important, so I'll say it again: PIE.
  • No presents to buy for anyone.
  • Football.
  • 2.5 days off.
  • Anybody can do Xmas, but only 'Mericans do Turkey Day.
🇺🇸🦃💪
 
brewer90 said:
Ummm, WHAT? Forgive the off topic dissent, but this spurious claim simply MUST be addressed. Thanksgiving is, in point of fact, the GREATEST of all holidays. I submit the following reasons:
  • It's an entire day focused on feasting.
  • Turkey (roasted, deep fried... I make no preference) is excellent and can stand on it's own
  • Turkey is also the delivery system for an entire MULTITIDE of delicious side dishes too numerous to mention here.
  • Pie. This one is important, so I'll say it again: PIE.
  • No presents to buy for anyone.
  • Football.
  • 2.5 days off.
  • Anybody can do Xmas, but only 'Mericans do Turkey Day.
🇺🇸🦃💪
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Yup. It's my favorite holiday. Family, food, football.
 
brewer90 said:
Ummm, WHAT? Forgive the off topic dissent, but this spurious claim simply MUST be addressed. Thanksgiving is, in point of fact, the GREATEST of all holidays. I submit the following reasons:
  • It's an entire day focused on feasting.
  • Turkey (roasted, deep fried... I make no preference) is excellent and can stand on it's own
  • Turkey is also the delivery system for an entire MULTITIDE of delicious side dishes too numerous to mention here.
  • Pie. This one is important, so I'll say it again: PIE.
  • No presents to buy for anyone.
  • Football.
  • 2.5 days off.
  • Anybody can do Xmas, but only 'Mericans do Turkey Day.
🇺🇸🦃💪
Click to expand...
.
Just make it Autumnfest or Octoberfest .... Why is this one day so important.

This is making me hungry. It’s time for a brisket. I’ll get one later at Costco.

And it’s time for another Pot of Beans .... Soak them beans.
.
 
The other thing to consider is that the Brigade hasn’t even reformed yet and we are talking about leave? The last wave of Youngsters report September 27th and enter ROM for what is generally 2 weeks plus a few days based on the return of test results. That puts the calendar at October 12th +- roughly. Thanksgiving is only 5.5 weeks later. It seems leadership has worked diligently at getting brigade back together and despite the fact that some may want to leave, others (who have been eager to return) will have just gotten back to the Yard after nearly 7 months at home.
I’m ok with Thanksgiving at USNA (even midsib’s college is keeping them for Thanksgiving). Let’s call it a giant Friendsgiving and a test for making new traditions and memories.
 
Dr. Strange Love said:
.
Just make it Autumnfest or Octoberfest .... Why is this one day so important.

This is making me hungry. It’s time for a brisket. I’ll get one later at Costco.

And it’s time for another Pot of Beans .... Soak them beans.
.
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Funny, I just made a pot of 15 bean soup with Cajun spices, tomatoes, onions, peppers and all the pickings from a turkey we roasted a few days ago. Beans soaked overnight, and are happily bubbling in the 7-qt slow cooker.
 
I will say one of my most memorable Thanksgivings was in King Hall.
My brother was based there.
I came back for R&R after being gone for 8 months and was going back to finish my tour.
The entire family met in Annapolis and we walked over to King Hall from my brother’s house.
I think it ended up being the last Thanksgiving the entire family was together.

This time will be tough for families. But I guarantee, years from now, the classes of 2021-2024 will speak fondly at Army/Navy games of the Thanksgiving they spent together.
 
brewer90 said:
Ummm, WHAT? Forgive the off topic dissent, but this spurious claim simply MUST be addressed. Thanksgiving is, in point of fact, the GREATEST of all holidays. I submit the following reasons:
  • It's an entire day focused on feasting.
  • Turkey (roasted, deep fried... I make no preference) is excellent and can stand on it's own
  • Turkey is also the delivery system for an entire MULTITIDE of delicious side dishes too numerous to mention here.
  • Pie. This one is important, so I'll say it again: PIE.
  • No presents to buy for anyone.
  • Football.
  • 2.5 days off.
  • Anybody can do Xmas, but only 'Mericans do Turkey Day.
🇺🇸🦃💪
Click to expand...
Thanksgiving is my favorite.

This will be the first Thanksgiving that any member of our immediate family will not be present. Not gonna be easy.
Sponsor families are heaven sent.
 
Capt MJ said:
Funny, I just made a pot of 15 bean soup with Cajun spices, tomatoes, onions, peppers and all the pickings from a turkey we roasted a few days ago. Beans soaked overnight, and are happily bubbling in the 7-qt slow cooker.
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I like my tomato slivers to be chewy .... I add them right before the bean soup is ready to eat.

Yummy
.
 
RAI923 said:
Let’s call it a giant Friendsgiving and a test for making new traditions and memories.
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Love this attitude! Some folks (especially the parental units on BookFace) are acting as if the sky is falling, as if the only acceptable Thanksgiving is with immediate family, as if any Thanksgiving confined to the Yard can’t possibly be legitimate.

Well, I say let’s give the mids a crack at it and see how things turn out. I think it’ll be awesome — the whole brigade chowing down on turkey and all the fixings, taters, green beans, pie, maybe even that spicy cranberry sauce that @Capt MJ mentioned on another thread, if an enterprising King Hall cook were so motivated. It’ll be an event to remember, with shipmates coming together as a whole after a long and terrible period away from each other. And it would be in the best traditions of USNA and the Navy.

Will they miss Mom and Dad and bubby and sissy and the dog and cat and that cranberry sauce Auntie June makes? Maybe...just at little. But you know what? They’ll survive...become closer...and better understand the sacrifices that lie ahead...and the nobleness of the profession they’ve chosen.
 
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Walman888 said:
Thanksgiving is my favorite.

This will be the first Thanksgiving that any member of our immediate family will not be present. Not gonna be easy.
Sponsor families are heaven sent.
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Since the kids flew the nest in stages over the past 13 years, we've tried to get as many as possible together for Thanksgiving as possible including the years when we flew down to see my mom and sister in Atlanta and paid for a number of the (now) adults to go as well but we rarely got a "full house" and attendance still waned over time until two years ago, we had the four kids on four different continents for the holiday. Only one was on the same continent as we were but she was unable due to assignments and early Fri morning Med school class. My wife and I were teaching till Weds evening so we did not fly out either and had to make do with an invitation from friends and that turned out to be a very good time.
 
MidCakePa said:
Love this attitude! Some folks (especially the parental units on BookFace) are acting as if the sky is falling, as if the only acceptable Thanksgiving is with immediate family, as if any Thanksgiving confined to the Yard can’t possibly be legitimate.

Well, I say let’s give the mids a crack at it and see how things turn out. I think it’ll be awesome — the whole brigade chowing down on turkey and all the fixings, taters, green beans, pie, maybe even that spicy cranberry sauce that @Capt MJ mentioned on another thread, if an enterprising King Hall cook were so motivated. It’ll be an event to remember, with shipmates coming together as a whole after a long and terrible period away from each other. And it would be in the best traditions of USNA and the Navy.

Will they miss Mom and Dad and bubby and sissy and the dog and cat and that cranberry sauce just like Auntie June makes it? Maybe...just at little. But you know what? They’ll survive...become closer...and better understand the sacrifices that lie ahead...and the nobleness of the profession they’ve chosen.
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I agree. I thought I would be really bummed when I heard about it. But I think I had expected it. When he left I geared my mind to have Christmas as the earliest option. I think most on 'BookFace' (ha) were ready to backpack into the Yard during the plebe summer quarantine. It's mind-boggling. I mean, yes, I miss him, and yeah, I spoil him with Amazon dried fruit, peanut butter, tide pens, and treats for his roomies, but I'm his mom! I can do that from here and I don't have to deliver it in person (logistically not an option).

I am looking forward to the day they can all eat any meal together in King Hall. The morale will increase immediately, I think. The clamshell to-go meals are not ideal (not that they have to be). The plebes haven't experienced the whole brigade eating together yet. I hope as soon as the last of the 3/c's return and are out of quarantine that they make that happen. What a day that will be!
 
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