What should 鈥渃oronavirus school鈥� look like?
In the early days of the pandemic, many districts were scrambling to put any kind of learning material in front of their students.
But as the closures continue鈥攎any will now last for at least several more weeks, if not the rest of the academic year鈥攕chool systems are starting to settle into a routine.
But what they are expecting of children and families varies dramatically.
Maggie Hunter, an instructional designer and technical writer in Holmdel, N.J., has three sons: one in 1st grade, a second in preschool, and a toddler. Her district has provided daily assignments that closely mirror the different subjects that her 1st grader would get in a typical school day鈥攊ncluding specials such as art, music, and physical education. The district had been posting work in the morning and asking parents to check off that it was done by 1 p.m.; that has now shifted to allowing a parent to check that the work is done by midnight of the day it was assigned.
In some ways, the prescriptive approach is helpful, said Hunter, who is single and working from home during the pandemic. Having set assignments gives her less to figure out on her own.
On the other hand, she was thrown by an art assignment where her son had to demonstrate six different shading techniques.
鈥淭here was crosshatch, hatching, and 鈥榮cumbling鈥�,鈥� Hunter said. 鈥淚 have no idea what scumbling is.鈥� Fortunately, the art teacher sent a video explanation as well.
The setup does require her to make sure that her oldest son is completing all his work, because he is being graded and taking tests.
鈥淗onestly, I think they鈥檙e just trying to plow through the curriculum,鈥� Hunter said.
Sharing Frustrations, Weathering Mistakes
Misty Trevino, a digital learning consultant who supports schools and districts in north Texas, took to Twitter to share her frustration with her sons鈥� early experience with digital learning.
Her sons, in grades 10 and 8, are each enrolled in seven classes. Trevino had to read through more than 20 messages to find out teachers鈥� emails, office hours, and expectations.
Her sons needed help from her to translate unclear instructions, troubleshoot improperly linked assignments, submit classwork, and navigate through their digital spaces.
The assignments tended to come with pages of written instructions, which was a particular challenge for one son who has dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And she said the assignments just took too long鈥攁n hour or two on average, which was hard to supervise while trying to manage her own work.
None of the pitfalls she described were intended by educators, she explained. But districts need to get feedback from teachers, students, and parents on how they can adjust as needed.
For example, it would help if schools offered fewer assignments, a single email that provides all the information for each teacher, an instructional video on how to use the learning platform, and text-to-speech options for written instructions, she said.
鈥淟ike I said before, we will not figure this out in the next couple of months. We are all going to make lots of mistakes. Now is a great time to learn from them,鈥� Trevino posted.
Other districts have not taken nearly as prescriptive an approach with their online learning plans. The Philadelphia district, for example, has released sets of optional learning guides on its website and available in paper form at sites where it distributes meals. By late April, it plans to launch a 鈥渄igital learning plan鈥� that will offer more support from district teachers.
Montgomery County, Md., has made it clear in parent communications that digital learning will not look anything like a typical school day. 鈥淥ur remote plan provides a good mix of teacher instruction and support; independent, age-appropriate self-paced work; and submission of graded assignments. We need to provide both structure and flexibility for students, teachers, and families,鈥� said Superintendent Jack R. Smith, in a message to families.
Replicating a School Day Is Unrealistic
Many districts are trying to walk a fine line between keeping students engaged and learning, and recognizing that there鈥檚 no reasonable way many families can replicate a school day in their own homes.
Henry County, Ga., already has a program that puts devices in the hands of students in grades 3 through 12. So the district was well-positioned to continue online learning for children in those grades. Those with younger children can pick up paper packets, crayons, and pencils at the feeding centers established around the district.
鈥淲e鈥檝e provided guidance for teachers so that a balance can be provided, and as much support as we can provide those at-home caregivers,鈥� said Melissa Morse, the chief of learning and performance for the district, in the metropolitan Atlanta area. For students, that means there is 鈥渆nough of a touch from the teacher that they stay connected to what鈥檚 happening.鈥�
Teachers are not required to reach out online every day, nor are students required to sign on at the same time each day. Teachers are often choosing to give one 鈥渓ive鈥� presentation and record it so that students can watch at different times. And, while there is no official attendance being taken, teachers are asked to be mindful if there are students whom they have not been able to reach.
Students have been excited to have regular connection with their classmates, said Brian Blanton, the district鈥檚 chief information officer. 鈥淲hat that does for them socially and emotionally is really powerful.鈥�
For parents, that middle ground appears to work well.
Jennifer Martin, who has a 1st grader and a kindergarten student in the Riverview district near Seattle, said she liked that her children鈥檚 district sent out a calendar of activities, because that allows the family to create its own pacing, with guidance.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad they don鈥檛 have to sit two hours a day in front of computer all at once.鈥� Martin said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 glad we鈥檙e not in one of the districts where parents haven鈥檛 heard anything at all.
Superintendent: 鈥楽hut Off the Valve, Take a Break鈥�
Jennifer Gallagher, the superintendent of the Long Beach, N.Y., district wrote a soothing message to parents, telling them to let go of any guilt they may feel that they鈥檙e not able to juggle every single task perfectly at such an extraordinary time. Her words have been picked up and shared by others outside her school system.
鈥淒on鈥檛 worry if you are not the perfect homeschooling parent; don鈥檛 worry if you are torn between working at home and helping your kids. Don鈥檛 let your kids spend nine hours a day doing schoolwork online鈥攃ut them off and tell the teacher it was too much. Don鈥檛 let these days be joyless for your kids,鈥� she wrote.
In an interview, Gallagher said those views came from her own personal experience, as she is working and now trying to support her school-age daughters. One daughter, who is in middle school and legally blind, spent nine hours on remote learning in one day. (Her daughter attends school in a different district.)
鈥淔or a child to struggle for nine hours, that鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� Gallagher said. Parents 鈥渉ave the ability and the permission to shut off the valve, take a break, judge whether their kids need less or more.鈥�
