Hey everyone Dan’s back with another weekly blog post – hope you enjoy. xo, Candace
On March 13, 2020 we had a faculty meeting at the end of our school day. It was a Friday afternoon and most of the staff were itching to get out and start the weekend. This was the first time I remember hearing the following phrases: “Hybrid Model”, “Distance Learning”, “Google Meets”, “Abundance of Caution” and the countless other buzz phrases that are in our everyday vocabulary now. Most of my colleagues and I figured we would be out for a few days as they did a deep clean of the building and we would be back to the classroom sooner than later. The virus had been making its way into mainstream media on a daily basis and a few people even knew friends or family who had tested positive. Still, there was no cause for alarm and we figured a week or two of distance learning would be enough.
Welp, here we are. Almost a year later and I personally do not see this ending soon. Since that day I have not had a full classroom of students. At most I have 7 students at a time. We are using a cohort model, where half of my class comes in on M/T and the other half comes in on Th/F. Each cohort alternates on Wed. There is also a group of students who have chosen to stay home all week. So each day I have around 7 students in my room and around 10 students logging in from home. Yes, that is correct, I have 17 students on my roster as a 5th grade teacher. My school is very small and the low teacher to student ratio is a huge draw to potential home buyers. The graduating class each year is around 80 students.
I do not mind the hybrid model. I feel that these 5th graders are getting a relatively risk-free opportunity to learn in the 21st century. Technology is not leaving education any time soon. These 10 year olds will be learning through a screen for rest of their lives. And then, their job description will require some understanding of technology as well. I always tell the parents that it is my role as a teacher to prepare my 5th graders for jobs that do not even exist yet. By the time they enter the workforce, some of them will be applying to companies that aren’t even founded yet. They will be making and selling products that have not been invented yet. It is this reason that I need to create problem solvers and critical thinkers. Their ability to adapt to this new style of learning will be a life skill that will lead them to success.
When a student of mine does poorly on a math test, their confidence plummets. However, they are able to troubleshoot every day tech issues no problem. They can help other students fix their mics and screen layouts. They can share links in documents and edit work through google docs. They can connect their chrome books to wireless printers, share photos, and edit videos no problem. Yet they do not see the value. Their brains have not adapted to these new core skills. I do not care if they can divide decimals using paper and pencil- that is not a skill that will determine success later in life. When I am having trouble with my document camera they are able to walk me through a flow chart of steps to help fix it, and that is a core skill- the ability to problem-solve and think critically.
Who knows how long this will last. We are starting to bring in more and more students. However, more cases are popping up and causing some alarm. I think we all want this virus to be over, but it isn’t. Yes, teachers are getting vaccines and that will help. But we are still fighting common sense when we bring large amounts of people together in a building. Social distancing 10 year olds is hard work. Keeping their masks on is a battle, getting them to wash their hands is a nightmare! But I will give them credit. They have been able to adapt to these changes better than most and I truly believe it will have a huge impact on their success later in life.
Are you a teacher? How is your school handling it all? As a parent, are you seeing changes in your child’s academic behavior? Let me know in the comments.
Changes this year.
Read More
