I am a middle school teacher. We were told on Friday, March 13, that we would not be coming back to school until after our spring break, which meant April 13. That day has now changed to May 4th. The COVID-19 pandemic has California in lockdown - we are in "self-isolation" which means staying home and only going out for essentials like food, gas, etc. Social-Distancing (staying 6 ft. away from each other) has defined the pandemic of 2020. So, needless to say my district is trying to work out the kinks and issues regarding Distance Learning.
This whole Distance Learning concept seems to have caught most school districts and teachers off guard. As someone who has taken classes online for my masters, my credential and various other classes, it seems like a natural progression. But to many teachers who are used to the face to face teaching, this is traversing new territory. And, as a tech teacher, I am at least familiar with a lot of tools that I can use to teach online, where many teachers have either not kept up with the new tools or are just having a hard time catching on to a different teaching paradigm. Online classes have been around for 10 - 20 years, but not at the elementary and middle school level, at least not for public schools. So the infrastructure, the training, and the expectations are all issues each school district is trying to manage from the ground up.
So far in my district we have spent two weeks of Flexible Learning. I have provided activities that go with my curriculum for students to help engage them and keep them interested in my classes. These were not graded, or mandatory. We have spring break next week - so a break (except for teachers who will probably spend the time planning), then we will start "regular" graded classes. As with most teachers, I'm missing my students and looking forward to seeing their work and getting them ready for next year. Now, the trick is getting students who have been on a non-school schedule for two weeks, motivated to go back to school, even if it is online. I'm up to the challenge. There is no better time to show students how schoolwork is relevant to everyday life, continue with relationships and push on to the new normal!
This whole Distance Learning concept seems to have caught most school districts and teachers off guard. As someone who has taken classes online for my masters, my credential and various other classes, it seems like a natural progression. But to many teachers who are used to the face to face teaching, this is traversing new territory. And, as a tech teacher, I am at least familiar with a lot of tools that I can use to teach online, where many teachers have either not kept up with the new tools or are just having a hard time catching on to a different teaching paradigm. Online classes have been around for 10 - 20 years, but not at the elementary and middle school level, at least not for public schools. So the infrastructure, the training, and the expectations are all issues each school district is trying to manage from the ground up.
So far in my district we have spent two weeks of Flexible Learning. I have provided activities that go with my curriculum for students to help engage them and keep them interested in my classes. These were not graded, or mandatory. We have spring break next week - so a break (except for teachers who will probably spend the time planning), then we will start "regular" graded classes. As with most teachers, I'm missing my students and looking forward to seeing their work and getting them ready for next year. Now, the trick is getting students who have been on a non-school schedule for two weeks, motivated to go back to school, even if it is online. I'm up to the challenge. There is no better time to show students how schoolwork is relevant to everyday life, continue with relationships and push on to the new normal!
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