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"content": "\u003cp>COVID-19 forced Keriann Wilmot's son to trade his classroom for a computer. It was a tough transition for a 10-year-old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It was a different environment for him,\" Wilmot says. \"He wasn't used to this kind of work from school coming in the format of an email in his Chromebook every single day.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her son would avoid math and writing and instead go straight to his favorite subjects: science and social studies. But even then, online assignments could be a problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There might be something when he opened it that was like a really pretty PDF that had lots of beautiful illustrations and fonts,\" Wilmot says. \"And he would look at it and just get overwhelmed and shut the laptop and walk away.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wilmot was much better prepared than most parents to help her son. She'd spent 20 years as an occupational therapist who specializes in helping children with ADHD and other learning disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so, working with her own child was tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It was a different environment for him, and he wasn't used to me asking him to do these activities,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the COVID-19 era, these are common experiences for parents of children with ADHD, says Haftan Eckholdt, a developmental psychologist and chief science officer at \u003ca href=\"https://www.understood.org/\">Understood\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that serves people who learn and think differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most parents have jobs or they're looking for jobs,\" he says. \"Most households don't have a space that they can say, 'This is now your classroom — this is your space, and you'll have this and nothing else will happen here.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a typical home is full of distractions, Eckholdt says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are siblings and pets and all kinds of things going on, including parents,\" he says. \"So there are a lot of things that are novel and very challenging to kids with ADHD.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there's no teacher in the room to counteract those distractions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When I was in grade school, the teacher might actually come stand near me,\" Eckholdt says. \"That was a way for me to realize, oh right, here I am, I'm here.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wilmot was able to provide a designated place for her son to do his schoolwork. But keeping him on track was a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would get up at 6 a.m., open all her son's assignments on his laptop, and come up with a plan for how and when he would get them done. Then she'd start her own full-time job, working online with other people's children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a lot. And at first, Wilmot didn't realize that her son was missing a critical part of school: recess and the physical activity that came with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Wilmot asked her son to do his schoolwork before riding his bike. It was a big mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He was like, 'Mom, I need the bike ride at the beginning of my day,' \" she says. \"And he was absolutely right.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools provide breaks that allow kids to \"release some of the energy and bounce off the walls,\" Eckholdt says. \"At home that has to become part of the schedule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the challenges, distance learning can work well for some students with ADHD, Eckholdt says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are certainly kids where not being around peers actually makes it easier for them to focus, and they feel like they have a lot more control and a lot less distraction,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The different experiences with distance learning reflect the many variations of ADHD, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/29722174-john-j-foxe\">John Foxe\u003c/a>, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester and director of the Ernest J. 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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so, working with her own child was tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It was a different environment for him, and he wasn't used to me asking him to do these activities,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the COVID-19 era, these are common experiences for parents of children with ADHD, says Haftan Eckholdt, a developmental psychologist and chief science officer at \u003ca href=\"https://www.understood.org/\">Understood\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that serves people who learn and think differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most parents have jobs or they're looking for jobs,\" he says. \"Most households don't have a space that they can say, 'This is now your classroom — this is your space, and you'll have this and nothing else will happen here.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a typical home is full of distractions, Eckholdt says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are siblings and pets and all kinds of things going on, including parents,\" he says. \"So there are a lot of things that are novel and very challenging to kids with ADHD.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there's no teacher in the room to counteract those distractions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When I was in grade school, the teacher might actually come stand near me,\" Eckholdt says. \"That was a way for me to realize, oh right, here I am, I'm here.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wilmot was able to provide a designated place for her son to do his schoolwork. But keeping him on track was a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would get up at 6 a.m., open all her son's assignments on his laptop, and come up with a plan for how and when he would get them done. Then she'd start her own full-time job, working online with other people's children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a lot. And at first, Wilmot didn't realize that her son was missing a critical part of school: recess and the physical activity that came with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Wilmot asked her son to do his schoolwork before riding his bike. It was a big mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He was like, 'Mom, I need the bike ride at the beginning of my day,' \" she says. \"And he was absolutely right.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools provide breaks that allow kids to \"release some of the energy and bounce off the walls,\" Eckholdt says. \"At home that has to become part of the schedule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the challenges, distance learning can work well for some students with ADHD, Eckholdt says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are certainly kids where not being around peers actually makes it easier for them to focus, and they feel like they have a lot more control and a lot less distraction,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The different experiences with distance learning reflect the many variations of ADHD, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/29722174-john-j-foxe\">John Foxe\u003c/a>, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester and director of the Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Foxe says scientists are just beginning to understand how the brains of young people with ADHD are different from those of other kids. But he says MRI scans show that children with ADHD do have something in common neurologically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When we're recording these youngsters doing tasks in the magnet, what we find is that there are very clear differences in the engagement of the attention circuits,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those differences often make it even harder than it is for other children to overcome the urge to use the computer for fun, Foxe says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A lot of kids with ADHD are spending a lot of time on screen time and video games at home at the moment but really struggling with the online lessons,\" he says. \"And that of course makes perfect sense, too, because one of the things about that kind of content is it's highly motivating.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's hard for a teacher to compete with the excitement and rewards of a video game. And that's just one of the reason's many students with ADHD will continue to struggle with distance learning, Foxe says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For children with more severe learning and intellectual disabilities, though, online classes just don't work, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"For those kids, sitting at home is a disaster, an absolute disaster,\" Foxe says. \"We need to get them back to school. But we have to do it safely.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health officials are still trying to figure out how to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Remote+Learning%27s+Distractions+Put+Extra+Pressure+On+Students+With+ADHD&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>You've signed up for classes, you've learned your way around the virtual course system — and now, you've got to make sure you survive all the way to graduation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laptop or paper notes? Highlighter or flashcards? And does music help while studying? Here's how to take better notes and study so that you remember what you've learned — without getting crushed by college stress. Plus: what to do if you do feel crushed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Learn how to take notes.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's no single magic way to take notes, but the act of writing down our interpretation of what we've learned helps organize and consolidate information in our brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What should you write down? Use clues from your professors to figure out what information is important and what is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Listen to their words: \"This is going to be on the exam\" or \"This is important,\" for instance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Watch them as they teach — they might get animated, repeat themselves, write things on the board.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pay attention when they offer categories and numbered lists. \"Be on the lookout for the ways that professors will organize information,\" says Natalie Murr, a psychologist at North Carolina State University. \"You know, 'Here are the categories of x. There's three categories: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.' \"\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Also, laptop or paper? It doesn't matter, Murr says. What's more important is that you take down key information, not everything your professor says verbatim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Get a planner and actually use it.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You'll have a lot going on in college, and managing your time is a critical skill to master. Use your planner to control your schedule. Write everything down: your classes, your work shifts, assignments and meetings. Let your schedule help you find small windows of time to knock out smaller tasks and keep track of bigger deadlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. When studying, don't just put information \u003c/strong>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>into\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> your brain. Draw it back out. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We know from research that the most common study strategies are rereading textbooks, rereading notes, and highlighting. We also know that those methods don't really work, because they only focus on the input, not the retrieval, says Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist at the Berklee College of Music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of learning as a two-way street. When you re-read and highlight, you're only focused on getting information in, not doing any retrieving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Research demonstrates that when we engage in that process of overtly retrieving, we actually organize concepts and create a better structure for what we're understanding,\" Agarwal says. \"So through that process of retrieval, we help make sense of what we're trying to learn.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's what Agarwal recommends to strengthen your retrieval skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \"Two-Things Rule\": As soon as you finish a lecture or a reading, write down two things you remember.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Explain the information to a friend or classmate to test your understanding.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Use flashcards — but say the answer out loud (in other words, retrieve it) before you turn it over to check yourself. Shuffle the flashcards and do it again.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Set a timer to study for a certain time, take a break, then to get back to work. \"It's almost like an intentional forgetting or a purposeful forgetting,\" Agarwal explains. \"By taking that break, you're letting things simmer a little bit.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Another tip — and you might not like this one: Don't listen to music while you read. Research has shown that silence almost doubles reading comprehension, compared to listening to music with lyrics, Agarwal says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Failure is not the end. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An F on a test — or even for an entire class — doesn't mean you won't graduate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Anyone can do badly in a class,\" says Odette De Leon, an adviser at Valencia College in Orlando. \"We're not born knowing college material. That's why we go to college. That's why we're college students. We're trying to learn these things.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, it's difficult to hear negative things about yourself — and bad grades are no exception. But being hard on yourself can just make it worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. Take care of yourself — and get some sleep.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students who are sleep-deprived show many of the same symptoms as students diagnosed with attention disorders, says Natalie Murr at North Carolina State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emotional problems can also throw off a student's focus and interfere with academics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you're really sleepy or if you're really struggling emotionally, there's not a lot of motivation to get up and go to class or do your work or put the effort in that needs to be done,\" Murr says. \"They can really kind of take up space in the brain that would otherwise be open for learning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Let go of the stigma around mental health problems.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health issues are pervasive among college students, and COVID-19 is only making things tougher. It's nothing to be ashamed of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One out of two Americans over their lifetime will have a diagnosable mental health disorder,\" says B. Janet Hibbs, psychologist and author of \u003cem>The Stressed Years of Their Lives\u003c/em>. \"They're highly treatable. It's not something to be scared about.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And parents, if your kid is in distress, don't judge, says Hibbs. Listen and be supportive so they'll continue to confide in you, and take their anguish seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Know when to reach out for help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stress is so common in college, it can be hard to recognize when it becomes clinically treatable anxiety or depression, says Anthony Rostain, a doctor and professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Hibbs' co-author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are warning signs to watch for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Trouble sleeping.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trouble waking up.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trouble eating.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drinking to the point of blacking out.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Having lots of random sexual partners.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Not being able to stop playing video games.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Got a neighbor or a niece in college? Consider sharing this story with them.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Resources:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you're experiencing thoughts of suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text START to 741-741 to get in touch with someone who can help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Jed Foundation specializes in supporting mental health in \u003ca href=\"https://www.jedfoundation.org/\">teens and young adults as they transition into adulthood\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ULifeline.org, by the Jed Foundation, offers a database of \u003ca href=\"http://www.ulifeline.org/\">campus mental health resources at more than 1,600 colleges\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lauren Migaki produced the podcast version of this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:lifekit@npr.org\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>For more Life Kit, \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/life-kit\">\u003cem>subscribe to our newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=College+Is+Important.+So+Is+Mental+Health.+Here%27s+How+To+Study+Without+Burning+Out&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>You've signed up for classes, you've learned your way around the virtual course system — and now, you've got to make sure you survive all the way to graduation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laptop or paper notes? Highlighter or flashcards? And does music help while studying? Here's how to take better notes and study so that you remember what you've learned — without getting crushed by college stress. Plus: what to do if you do feel crushed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Learn how to take notes.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's no single magic way to take notes, but the act of writing down our interpretation of what we've learned helps organize and consolidate information in our brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What should you write down? Use clues from your professors to figure out what information is important and what is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Listen to their words: \"This is going to be on the exam\" or \"This is important,\" for instance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Watch them as they teach — they might get animated, repeat themselves, write things on the board.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pay attention when they offer categories and numbered lists. \"Be on the lookout for the ways that professors will organize information,\" says Natalie Murr, a psychologist at North Carolina State University. \"You know, 'Here are the categories of x. There's three categories: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.' \"\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Also, laptop or paper? It doesn't matter, Murr says. What's more important is that you take down key information, not everything your professor says verbatim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Get a planner and actually use it.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You'll have a lot going on in college, and managing your time is a critical skill to master. Use your planner to control your schedule. Write everything down: your classes, your work shifts, assignments and meetings. Let your schedule help you find small windows of time to knock out smaller tasks and keep track of bigger deadlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. When studying, don't just put information \u003c/strong>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>into\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> your brain. Draw it back out. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We know from research that the most common study strategies are rereading textbooks, rereading notes, and highlighting. We also know that those methods don't really work, because they only focus on the input, not the retrieval, says Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist at the Berklee College of Music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of learning as a two-way street. When you re-read and highlight, you're only focused on getting information in, not doing any retrieving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Research demonstrates that when we engage in that process of overtly retrieving, we actually organize concepts and create a better structure for what we're understanding,\" Agarwal says. \"So through that process of retrieval, we help make sense of what we're trying to learn.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's what Agarwal recommends to strengthen your retrieval skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \"Two-Things Rule\": As soon as you finish a lecture or a reading, write down two things you remember.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Explain the information to a friend or classmate to test your understanding.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Use flashcards — but say the answer out loud (in other words, retrieve it) before you turn it over to check yourself. Shuffle the flashcards and do it again.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Set a timer to study for a certain time, take a break, then to get back to work. \"It's almost like an intentional forgetting or a purposeful forgetting,\" Agarwal explains. \"By taking that break, you're letting things simmer a little bit.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Another tip — and you might not like this one: Don't listen to music while you read. Research has shown that silence almost doubles reading comprehension, compared to listening to music with lyrics, Agarwal says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Failure is not the end. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An F on a test — or even for an entire class — doesn't mean you won't graduate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Anyone can do badly in a class,\" says Odette De Leon, an adviser at Valencia College in Orlando. \"We're not born knowing college material. That's why we go to college. That's why we're college students. We're trying to learn these things.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, it's difficult to hear negative things about yourself — and bad grades are no exception. But being hard on yourself can just make it worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. Take care of yourself — and get some sleep.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students who are sleep-deprived show many of the same symptoms as students diagnosed with attention disorders, says Natalie Murr at North Carolina State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emotional problems can also throw off a student's focus and interfere with academics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you're really sleepy or if you're really struggling emotionally, there's not a lot of motivation to get up and go to class or do your work or put the effort in that needs to be done,\" Murr says. \"They can really kind of take up space in the brain that would otherwise be open for learning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Let go of the stigma around mental health problems.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health issues are pervasive among college students, and COVID-19 is only making things tougher. It's nothing to be ashamed of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One out of two Americans over their lifetime will have a diagnosable mental health disorder,\" says B. Janet Hibbs, psychologist and author of \u003cem>The Stressed Years of Their Lives\u003c/em>. \"They're highly treatable. It's not something to be scared about.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And parents, if your kid is in distress, don't judge, says Hibbs. Listen and be supportive so they'll continue to confide in you, and take their anguish seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Know when to reach out for help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stress is so common in college, it can be hard to recognize when it becomes clinically treatable anxiety or depression, says Anthony Rostain, a doctor and professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Hibbs' co-author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are warning signs to watch for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Trouble sleeping.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trouble waking up.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trouble eating.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drinking to the point of blacking out.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Having lots of random sexual partners.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Not being able to stop playing video games.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Got a neighbor or a niece in college? Consider sharing this story with them.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Resources:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you're experiencing thoughts of suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text START to 741-741 to get in touch with someone who can help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Jed Foundation specializes in supporting mental health in \u003ca href=\"https://www.jedfoundation.org/\">teens and young adults as they transition into adulthood\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ULifeline.org, by the Jed Foundation, offers a database of \u003ca href=\"http://www.ulifeline.org/\">campus mental health resources at more than 1,600 colleges\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lauren Migaki produced the podcast version of this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:lifekit@npr.org\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Why Deaf Students Need Access to ASL Stories During Distance Learning",
"title": "Why Deaf Students Need Access to ASL Stories During Distance Learning",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Melissa Malzkuhn, the best part of creating storybook apps in American Sign Language and English is seeing children’s reactions. “They retell the stories, or they pick up a sign or phrase, or they repeat something they find funny. It's incredible, always incredible and uplifting when you see kids learning, absorbing and enjoying,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Malzkuhn is the founder and creative director of Gallaudet University’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.motionlightlab.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Motion Light Lab\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Since 2013 her team has worked with Deaf storytellers and artists to create bilingual stories for their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://vl2storybookapps.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">VL2 ASL Storybook Apps\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Exposure to stories in ASL is essential for young Deaf students, she said. “ASL is their natural visual language, and they learn swiftly. You can see the foundations being built.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But with schools across the country closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Deaf children have less access to such stories. About 73% of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children live in homes where family members do not regularly sign, according to a 2014 \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gallaudet.edu/office-of-international-affairs/demographics\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">national survey by Gallaudet University\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And according to Malzkuhn, many online educational resources being recommended to families right now are dependent on audio. Even when captions or transcriptions are available, Deaf children who are learning to read are unable to use those resources. “They need ASL access, and strong ASL models to develop literacy skills. With strong ASL skills, it bridges right into learning how to read and write,” Malzkuhn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s why, as schools across the country moved to distance learning in March, her team opened free access to their storybook apps. They weren’t alone in their efforts. Educators and advocates across the Deaf community have curated lessons, created storytime videos and organized events to support Deaf students’ literacy. “It's been fantastic seeing how the Deaf community has rallied together through this, with our creativity, storytelling and our sense of community accountability for all Deaf children,” Malzkuhn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are six ASL resources to help Deaf students engage with books and storytelling during distance learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Literacy Activities from the Motion Light Lab\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to making one of the VL2 Storybook Apps available for free each week, Malzkuhn’s team responded to COVID-19 school closures by launching a website full of related resources. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://motionlightlab.podia.com/courses/asl-literacy-activities\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASL Literacy Activities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> includes daily ASL literacy lessons, games, a sample schedule for Deaf education at home and other materials.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>#OperationASLStorytime\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With a majority of schools closed for the rest of the year, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">online read-alouds have become a popular literacy tool\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> among educators and authors themselves. In mid-March actor Shoshannah Stern, who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/greys-anatomy-first-deaf-doctor-krista-vernoff-shoshannah-stern-perfect-union-interview-1203502570/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">plays Dr. Riley on Grey’s Anatomy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, encouraged her \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Shoshannah7/status/1239564737660084230\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">social media followers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to create and share ASL storytime videos using the hashtag #OperationASLStorytime. Stern shared a video of herself signing “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. Dozens of signers have followed her lead on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/operationaslstorytime/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23operationaslstorytime\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=libHwiv6h8w\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Storytimes by Black and Brown Deaf People\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While #OperationASLStorytime has broadened linguistic access to virtual storytimes, most of the stories have been signed by white people. It’s important for Black and Brown Deaf students to see themselves reflected in the signers and the books, said Victorica Monroe, founder of the nonprofit \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transformdeafed.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Transformative Deaf Education\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. TDE’s website spotlights \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transformdeafed.org/aslbooktime\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASL storytimes that offer that representation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as Monroe’s translations of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=JfQ4Svays5c&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I Don’t Want to Go To Sleep”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=r34e5QdyuyU&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My Princess Boy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> TDE has also partnered with another nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://aslized.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASLized\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnUwwOg9ALk&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sponsor Deaf people of color to submit original ASL stories\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the ASLized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://aslized.org/library/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">library\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=JfQ4Svays5c&feature=emb_title\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Boston University’s Deaf Education Library\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boston University’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nkc.knack.com/asl-library#asl-library2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Deaf Education Library\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> pulls together lessons and other teaching for multiple academic subjects, all in ASL and English. BU faculty and students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/asl-education-library-deaf-children-coronavirus-isolation/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">crowdsourced the collection from across the internet\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in response to a call to action from Aiken Bottoms, a BU alumnus who teaches kindergarten at a Deaf school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Campfire Stories\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since March, families with Deaf children have gathered weekly for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-I-BCOBVM2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“ASL Campfire Stories”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> events on Zoom with tents, sleeping bags and all. Unlike the #OperationASLStorytime videos, which are akin to read-alouds with readers signing English books, the campfire events feature master storytellers performing “in the purity of ASL,” according to the organizers, Adele Ann Eberwein and Elvis Zornoza. “Many of you probably huddled around the campfires sharing stories, some people in Deaf clubs shared stories, and/or some told Deaf jokes. This is ASL STORYTELLING. … Similar to oral tradition, it is important for ASL Storytelling to be cherished for children to develop a variety of literacy skills,” they said \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-81RAgHZ5S/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in an Instagram video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Everywhere Book Fest\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/82672-covid-19-ongoing-list-of-cancellations.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hundreds of book festivals and author tours canceled\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since March, several children’s authors teamed up to organize Everywhere Book Fest, a virtual book festival held on May 1 and 2. All of the sessions that were recorded live included ASL interpretation and are archived on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTZ58vVNYzl8vTvwK7pXp1g/featured\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the festival’s YouTube page\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Some of the pre-recorded sessions did not include ASL interpretation. The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/festival-info/schedule/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">schedule\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> featured bestselling authors and diverse subjects, such as a panel on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/home-belonging-migrant-stories-in-latinx-middle-grade-literature/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">immigrant stories in middle grade novels\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/picture-book-draw-off/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">picture book draw-off\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a session on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/marvel-heroes-of-tomorrow/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the future of superhero stories\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Melissa Malzkuhn, the best part of creating storybook apps in American Sign Language and English is seeing children’s reactions. “They retell the stories, or they pick up a sign or phrase, or they repeat something they find funny. It's incredible, always incredible and uplifting when you see kids learning, absorbing and enjoying,” she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Malzkuhn is the founder and creative director of Gallaudet University’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.motionlightlab.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Motion Light Lab\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Since 2013 her team has worked with Deaf storytellers and artists to create bilingual stories for their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://vl2storybookapps.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">VL2 ASL Storybook Apps\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Exposure to stories in ASL is essential for young Deaf students, she said. “ASL is their natural visual language, and they learn swiftly. You can see the foundations being built.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But with schools across the country closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Deaf children have less access to such stories. About 73% of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children live in homes where family members do not regularly sign, according to a 2014 \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gallaudet.edu/office-of-international-affairs/demographics\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">national survey by Gallaudet University\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And according to Malzkuhn, many online educational resources being recommended to families right now are dependent on audio. Even when captions or transcriptions are available, Deaf children who are learning to read are unable to use those resources. “They need ASL access, and strong ASL models to develop literacy skills. With strong ASL skills, it bridges right into learning how to read and write,” Malzkuhn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s why, as schools across the country moved to distance learning in March, her team opened free access to their storybook apps. They weren’t alone in their efforts. Educators and advocates across the Deaf community have curated lessons, created storytime videos and organized events to support Deaf students’ literacy. “It's been fantastic seeing how the Deaf community has rallied together through this, with our creativity, storytelling and our sense of community accountability for all Deaf children,” Malzkuhn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are six ASL resources to help Deaf students engage with books and storytelling during distance learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Literacy Activities from the Motion Light Lab\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to making one of the VL2 Storybook Apps available for free each week, Malzkuhn’s team responded to COVID-19 school closures by launching a website full of related resources. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://motionlightlab.podia.com/courses/asl-literacy-activities\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASL Literacy Activities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> includes daily ASL literacy lessons, games, a sample schedule for Deaf education at home and other materials.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>#OperationASLStorytime\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With a majority of schools closed for the rest of the year, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">online read-alouds have become a popular literacy tool\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> among educators and authors themselves. In mid-March actor Shoshannah Stern, who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/greys-anatomy-first-deaf-doctor-krista-vernoff-shoshannah-stern-perfect-union-interview-1203502570/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">plays Dr. Riley on Grey’s Anatomy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, encouraged her \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Shoshannah7/status/1239564737660084230\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">social media followers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to create and share ASL storytime videos using the hashtag #OperationASLStorytime. Stern shared a video of herself signing “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. Dozens of signers have followed her lead on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/operationaslstorytime/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23operationaslstorytime\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/libHwiv6h8w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/libHwiv6h8w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Storytimes by Black and Brown Deaf People\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While #OperationASLStorytime has broadened linguistic access to virtual storytimes, most of the stories have been signed by white people. It’s important for Black and Brown Deaf students to see themselves reflected in the signers and the books, said Victorica Monroe, founder of the nonprofit \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transformdeafed.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Transformative Deaf Education\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. TDE’s website spotlights \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transformdeafed.org/aslbooktime\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASL storytimes that offer that representation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as Monroe’s translations of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=JfQ4Svays5c&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I Don’t Want to Go To Sleep”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=r34e5QdyuyU&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My Princess Boy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> TDE has also partnered with another nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://aslized.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASLized\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnUwwOg9ALk&feature=emb_title\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sponsor Deaf people of color to submit original ASL stories\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the ASLized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://aslized.org/library/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">library\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/JfQ4Svays5c'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/JfQ4Svays5c'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>\u003cb>Boston University’s Deaf Education Library\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boston University’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nkc.knack.com/asl-library#asl-library2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Deaf Education Library\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> pulls together lessons and other teaching for multiple academic subjects, all in ASL and English. BU faculty and students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/asl-education-library-deaf-children-coronavirus-isolation/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">crowdsourced the collection from across the internet\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in response to a call to action from Aiken Bottoms, a BU alumnus who teaches kindergarten at a Deaf school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>ASL Campfire Stories\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since March, families with Deaf children have gathered weekly for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-I-BCOBVM2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“ASL Campfire Stories”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> events on Zoom with tents, sleeping bags and all. Unlike the #OperationASLStorytime videos, which are akin to read-alouds with readers signing English books, the campfire events feature master storytellers performing “in the purity of ASL,” according to the organizers, Adele Ann Eberwein and Elvis Zornoza. “Many of you probably huddled around the campfires sharing stories, some people in Deaf clubs shared stories, and/or some told Deaf jokes. This is ASL STORYTELLING. … Similar to oral tradition, it is important for ASL Storytelling to be cherished for children to develop a variety of literacy skills,” they said \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-81RAgHZ5S/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in an Instagram video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Everywhere Book Fest\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/82672-covid-19-ongoing-list-of-cancellations.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hundreds of book festivals and author tours canceled\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since March, several children’s authors teamed up to organize Everywhere Book Fest, a virtual book festival held on May 1 and 2. All of the sessions that were recorded live included ASL interpretation and are archived on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTZ58vVNYzl8vTvwK7pXp1g/featured\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the festival’s YouTube page\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Some of the pre-recorded sessions did not include ASL interpretation. The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/festival-info/schedule/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">schedule\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> featured bestselling authors and diverse subjects, such as a panel on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/home-belonging-migrant-stories-in-latinx-middle-grade-literature/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">immigrant stories in middle grade novels\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/picture-book-draw-off/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">picture book draw-off\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a session on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://everywherebookfest.com/marvel-heroes-of-tomorrow/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the future of superhero stories\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "How to Lead During a Pandemic? Be Nimble, Bring In Many Voices and Hold On To Radical Hope",
"title": "How to Lead During a Pandemic? Be Nimble, Bring In Many Voices and Hold On To Radical Hope",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this post, five school administrators from across the country reflect on their experiences leading schools and districts during the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/coronavirus\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">COVID-19 outbreak\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They describe \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">successes and challenges\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of emergency distance learning, how they have practiced self-care and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56373/can-online-learning-be-better-this-fall-these-educators-think-so\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lessons\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that will carry them into the new school year. MindShift interviewed these educators between early June and late July. As of early August, all of their districts were planning to begin the 2020-2021 school year with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/distance-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56498 alignleft\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">M. Ann Levett, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>37,146 students, 5,500 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On communication: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/dr.annlevett/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Levett\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said that frequent communication with staff and families is critical in a time of crisis, not only to relay changes to school operations but to direct people toward resources, such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56409/overwhelmed-stressed-scared-school-nurses-brace-for-the-fall-semester\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mental health support\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55571/schools-race-to-feed-students-amid-coronavirus-closures\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">food assistance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Like many districts, Savannah-Chatham created special web pages and frequent messages for families to learn about such resources. During the summer, Levett sent what she called “love notes” to her staff — emails with planning updates and reminders to reach out to administrators and colleagues for support. She also created “Free Talk Friday” videos, which were unscripted messages of encouragement. “I think people just wanted to be reassured that there was some normalcy. And that somebody realized that, hey, the world is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56259/as-school-year-approaches-parents-and-educators-struggle-with-uncertainty\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">changing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but assuring us that you're looking out for our best interest.” Although leaders often prefer to speak authoritatively, Levett said that sharing conditional information is better than not communicating at all. One of her mantras has been “I can’t assure you certainty, but I can assure you clarity.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That is an area that I really have to work on. We have been really trying to prepare for the restart of school. I was out of the office probably two days. But I do have a very supportive family and network who will say, ‘just don't do any work today.’ I've really taken care of myself by not exposing myself [to the virus], so making sure that I'm spending time at home, relaxing, watching Hamilton on Disney+ and, you know, really being engrossed in that. And I've also been able to cook meals. [Before the pandemic] based on my business, I was out eating meals a lot. I don't do that now, which is good.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Levett, this year has highlighted the need to be nimble. One of the most public ways that has played out, she said, was after the Fourth of July holiday. Her staff spent June modifying classrooms and preparing for an in-person start to the new school year. By mid-July, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/16/891997539/georgia-hospital-worker-sounds-alarm-i-have-never-ever-seen-anything-like-this\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Georgia’s surge in COVID cases\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> spiked those plans. “Think about 44,000 people,” Levett said. “Think about one day you're planning for everybody to come back and within a week and a half … It's not going to be safe. We've got to take a whole different approach.” Fortunately, Levett’s team had also been developing infrastructure for a virtual reopening, including purchasing devices. “My leadership approach is you always have to have a plan A, B, C, D, E. You’ve got to be planning for all of those,” she said. Still, not everyone was happy with the change, and that’s a reality leaders have to accept. Levett’s response? “That's where we are. So help us get the numbers down so we can see the kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56499 alignleft\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Francisco-Duran-scaled-e1597991422692.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"224\">Francisco Durán, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Arlington Public Schools, Virginia\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>28,020 students, 4,937 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On prioritization: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assuming the superintendency in the midst of a pandemic is not on any educator’s bucket list, but that’s what \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.apsva.us/superintendents-office/new-superintendent-dr-francisco-duran/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Durán\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, who previously served as chief academic and equity officer for a neighboring district, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/9-questions-with-incoming-aps-superintendent-francisco-duran/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">did in June\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The long-time school leader said the turbulence of 2020 demands that administrators recognize what’s essential and what’s not. “What I've done is to try and work [with the school board and staff] and say, you know what, between now and the opening of school and really throughout the fall, we need to prioritize returning to school. There's a lot of other things we normally do that we need to take off the table. Just set them aside for now. We actually did a retreat with our board and my leadership team and we identified some of those things. So that's one thing I think is helping model for others how to prioritize.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Durán’s emphasis on setting priorities extends to physical and mental wellness. “Right now I take walks every day just to decompress and start each day anew and fresh. I meditate regularly to keep myself in balance. So those are personal things I've done to help say, what’s a priority in my life right now?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year has solidified several lessons for Durán, including the idea of “going slow to go fast.” When his team began to assess reopening options, for example, they created a task force that conducted community and staff surveys. Skipping those steps might have expedited decision making but Durán reminded his team that “it’s important to listen, to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56309/how-giving-all-stakeholders-a-voice-can-improve-school-reopening-plans\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bring people’s voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in, to think it through.” Doing so not only yielded useful suggestions but helped identify what questions and misinformation were circulating in the community. “There's a lot of information and wondering out there of, ‘Well, why can't we just do this? Why can't we just have everyone come every day?'\" he said. \"And so I had to really reaffirm (in the July board meeting) that we’re looking at our health information from our state health department and the CDC.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56501\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Sonal-Patel-e1597991479505.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Sonal Patel, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>San Leandro Unified School District, California\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>9,056 students, 978 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On dealing with dual pandemics: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.slusd.us/district-divisions-departments/educational-services-division/about-dr-sonal-patel/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Patel\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> spoke with MindShift just a week after the police killing of George Floyd sparked \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/868567696/america-reckons-with-racial-injustice\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nationwide protests\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and a month and half after a police officer \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/walmart-shooting-steven-taylor-man-killed-san-leando-police/6273284/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fatally shot\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> another Black man, Steven Taylor, in her own community. “Personally, I feel mad and hurt and overwhelmed by my own thoughts and emotions. It can be tough to be a leader while you're processing that in real time,” Patel said. “Even though I've been developing my stance as an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/category/antiracism\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">anti-racist educator\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for years, watching the world and our communities have to hold this kind of rage right now is very difficult,\" she said. In addition to the logistics of reopening schools, \"we're also battling this other corrosive virus plaguing our schools – white supremacy,\" she said. \"I think at times like this, schools become a really great place for people to find solidarity and comfort and to work through their emotions and thoughts and need for dialogue. To not be able to have that open for our students and families, (and for) our staff and our leaders in these coming weeks is tricky. So I’m just kind of thinking about how we go about doing that.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With two teenagers and a spouse at home \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55858/how-parents-can-coexist-with-disappointed-and-restless-college-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">competing for space and bandwidth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Patel initially continued to go to her district office to work after schools shut down. She soon realized, though, that being alone in the same building all day was isolating. Now that she works from home, her family members take turns making meals, and they shoot hoops together in the evenings. “As I was talking to you, to be delivered a hot cup of tea and a bagel by my kiddo is like, I'm fueled for the day,” Patel said. “They’re teenagers, and they would normally be running around and doing sports and activities with friends,\" she said. \"Just kind of like sitting next to them and chatting with them and processing the day has been a form of self-care because normally I don’t get that time with them.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The pandemic has forced Patel to get comfortable with changing her mind daily. “I like to think of myself as having a strong voice and vision, but I’ve had to change the metric for that,” she said. For instance, after her district adopted a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55889/why-grading-policies-for-equity-matter-more-than-ever\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pass/incomplete grading policy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the spring, she found that teachers were over-giving incompletes and she had to communicate differently about the policy’s purpose. Had that occurred prior to the pandemic, Patel might have judged herself for moving too fast, but now, she said, “all that's out the window because you just have to make decisions with what you know for this week or the next few weeks. And so my leadership lesson has been just how nauseous that makes me feel at times.” The antidote to that ailment, she said, is “figuring out how to get as much \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56038/how-indigenous-black-and-poc-educators-envision-a-better-school-experience\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">divergent voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as possible” when making decisions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56502\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Joe-Truss-e1597991523765.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"234\">Joe Truss, Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Visitacion Valley Middle School, San Francisco Unified School District, California\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>450 students (grades 6-8), 50 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On supporting teachers:\u003c/b> \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/trussleadership\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Truss\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said his role is all about connecting without controlling. “My number one job is making sure [teachers are] OK and seeing how they're doing and giving them what they need. And then priority two is giving them the space to figure it out as opposed to giving some mandates. With something that’s so crazy, like a sudden rush to remote learning and a pandemic going on in the background, you're going to need an innovative answer. And folks need \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56195/how-students-benefit-from-a-school-reopening-plan-designed-for-those-at-the-margins\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">time and space to innovate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and create.” His approach models how he wants teachers to treat students. “Because primarily with the kids, they should be connecting and checking in and also innovating their curriculum,\" he said. \"[Students] should be getting through this time, not worried about if they're going to fall behind or if they're going to pass or not pass. That shouldn't be anything that a kid is worried about when \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/16/816707182/map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a hundred thousand people\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> die.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “It’s a very \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55544/coronavirus-triple-duty-working-parenting-and-teaching-from-home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">stressful time for everybody\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but, you know, I’m trying to breathe, taking it one day at a time, trying to exercise a little bit. I happen to have just had a kid, so if I hadn't have had a newborn, I probably would have been running and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55533/exercise-tips-to-help-kids-teens-and-families-stay-balanced-at-home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">exercising\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. But we also were pregnant and stuck at home with a toddler, you know? So it's not like I just have free time, to get on the Peloton. It's been a time with my family. You do the best you can.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership Lesson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “Less is more. And, you know, people over profits, right? \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55595/staying-in-touch-why-kids-need-teachers-during-coronavirus-school-closings\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connection\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over standards. There's certain things that matter and certain things that don't matter, especially under these situations. If you love your people, give them the space to figure it out. They'll figure it out. Whatever I can model, I can expect from folks. It allows folks to do that a little bit more if they see me willing to be vulnerable or willing to say, ‘I don't have it figured out’ or willing to say ‘It's not working out. It's not good. It's not fair.’ Then we can kind of have an authentic conversation. As opposed to me giving a party line, like ‘Everything’s under control, people. Pay no attention to the flames.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56500\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Sharon-Contreras-scaled-e1597991570117.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"302\">Sharon Contreras, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Guilford County Schools, North Carolina\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>73,000 students, 8,972 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On technology and equity: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/scontrerasGCS\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contreras\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 20 percent of her district’s families \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55976/survey-shows-big-remote-learning-gaps-for-low-income-and-special-needs-children\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">do not have enough devices\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the home for each child, and approximately 15 percent of students do not have access to cable modems or high speed internet. To fill in the gaps during emergency distance learning, Guilford County Schools distributed more than 17,000 devices to students and sent 40 smart buses into neighborhoods to provide Wi-Fi. Still, about 2,300 students never logged on, and thousands of others logged on only \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55701/4-in-10-u-s-teens-say-they-havent-done-online-learning-since-schools-closed\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sporadically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “A lot is falling on school districts to try to resolve. And I think that school districts have done so much that parents believe it's our responsibility to provide broadband connectivity,” Contreras said, but she believes educators need to help shift that expectation. “It's the responsibility of federal government and the state government to make sure that the citizens of this country have high speed internet because there are very few things you can do any more without internet,\" she said. \"It is something that is an essential service — a public good that is necessary, required, like electricity and water. It should not be treated as a luxury.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contreras said that the high-stress demands of the superintendent role makes self-care important but hard to achieve. “I would say that I'm a work in progress. But I wake up each morning, and I read the Bible, and I'm particularly inspired by The Message version of the Bible, which is plain, modern English. And then I walk three to five miles a day, exploring our county’s beautiful parks and nature trails. And during the pandemic, I started gardening and I enjoy the peace and joy that gardening brings to my life now.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You know, I'm a problem solver. A fixer. A real life Olivia Pope,” said Contreras. “I've had great success my entire career with addressing very complex problems and issues. And I learned I cannot fix the chaos that has ensued since the start of this pandemic. I can't give students and my faculty and staff, my families, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56247/high-schoolers-share-their-worlds-with-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">their lives as they once knew them\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> back.” Despite that reality check, she is inspired by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56118/5-radical-schooling-ideas-for-an-uncertain-fall-and-beyond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">innovations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sparked by the pandemic, such as her district’s rapid creation of a virtual school that will remain an option after the coronavirus outbreak. “While I cannot fix some of the issues that the pandemic caused,” she said, “I absolutely believe in radical hope. I believe we will create a better educational system. It will not be easy. But it will be relatively faster than the 300 plus years that we’ve lived in the current one. So I’m still optimistic.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this post, five school administrators from across the country reflect on their experiences leading schools and districts during the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/coronavirus\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">COVID-19 outbreak\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They describe \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">successes and challenges\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of emergency distance learning, how they have practiced self-care and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56373/can-online-learning-be-better-this-fall-these-educators-think-so\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lessons\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that will carry them into the new school year. MindShift interviewed these educators between early June and late July. As of early August, all of their districts were planning to begin the 2020-2021 school year with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/distance-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56498 alignleft\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/M-Ann-Levett-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">M. Ann Levett, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>37,146 students, 5,500 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On communication: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/dr.annlevett/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Levett\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said that frequent communication with staff and families is critical in a time of crisis, not only to relay changes to school operations but to direct people toward resources, such as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56409/overwhelmed-stressed-scared-school-nurses-brace-for-the-fall-semester\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mental health support\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55571/schools-race-to-feed-students-amid-coronavirus-closures\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">food assistance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Like many districts, Savannah-Chatham created special web pages and frequent messages for families to learn about such resources. During the summer, Levett sent what she called “love notes” to her staff — emails with planning updates and reminders to reach out to administrators and colleagues for support. She also created “Free Talk Friday” videos, which were unscripted messages of encouragement. “I think people just wanted to be reassured that there was some normalcy. And that somebody realized that, hey, the world is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56259/as-school-year-approaches-parents-and-educators-struggle-with-uncertainty\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">changing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but assuring us that you're looking out for our best interest.” Although leaders often prefer to speak authoritatively, Levett said that sharing conditional information is better than not communicating at all. One of her mantras has been “I can’t assure you certainty, but I can assure you clarity.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That is an area that I really have to work on. We have been really trying to prepare for the restart of school. I was out of the office probably two days. But I do have a very supportive family and network who will say, ‘just don't do any work today.’ I've really taken care of myself by not exposing myself [to the virus], so making sure that I'm spending time at home, relaxing, watching Hamilton on Disney+ and, you know, really being engrossed in that. And I've also been able to cook meals. [Before the pandemic] based on my business, I was out eating meals a lot. I don't do that now, which is good.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Levett, this year has highlighted the need to be nimble. One of the most public ways that has played out, she said, was after the Fourth of July holiday. Her staff spent June modifying classrooms and preparing for an in-person start to the new school year. By mid-July, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/16/891997539/georgia-hospital-worker-sounds-alarm-i-have-never-ever-seen-anything-like-this\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Georgia’s surge in COVID cases\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> spiked those plans. “Think about 44,000 people,” Levett said. “Think about one day you're planning for everybody to come back and within a week and a half … It's not going to be safe. We've got to take a whole different approach.” Fortunately, Levett’s team had also been developing infrastructure for a virtual reopening, including purchasing devices. “My leadership approach is you always have to have a plan A, B, C, D, E. You’ve got to be planning for all of those,” she said. Still, not everyone was happy with the change, and that’s a reality leaders have to accept. Levett’s response? “That's where we are. So help us get the numbers down so we can see the kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56499 alignleft\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Francisco-Duran-scaled-e1597991422692.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"224\">Francisco Durán, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Arlington Public Schools, Virginia\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>28,020 students, 4,937 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On prioritization: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assuming the superintendency in the midst of a pandemic is not on any educator’s bucket list, but that’s what \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.apsva.us/superintendents-office/new-superintendent-dr-francisco-duran/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Durán\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, who previously served as chief academic and equity officer for a neighboring district, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/9-questions-with-incoming-aps-superintendent-francisco-duran/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">did in June\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The long-time school leader said the turbulence of 2020 demands that administrators recognize what’s essential and what’s not. “What I've done is to try and work [with the school board and staff] and say, you know what, between now and the opening of school and really throughout the fall, we need to prioritize returning to school. There's a lot of other things we normally do that we need to take off the table. Just set them aside for now. We actually did a retreat with our board and my leadership team and we identified some of those things. So that's one thing I think is helping model for others how to prioritize.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Durán’s emphasis on setting priorities extends to physical and mental wellness. “Right now I take walks every day just to decompress and start each day anew and fresh. I meditate regularly to keep myself in balance. So those are personal things I've done to help say, what’s a priority in my life right now?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year has solidified several lessons for Durán, including the idea of “going slow to go fast.” When his team began to assess reopening options, for example, they created a task force that conducted community and staff surveys. Skipping those steps might have expedited decision making but Durán reminded his team that “it’s important to listen, to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56309/how-giving-all-stakeholders-a-voice-can-improve-school-reopening-plans\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bring people’s voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in, to think it through.” Doing so not only yielded useful suggestions but helped identify what questions and misinformation were circulating in the community. “There's a lot of information and wondering out there of, ‘Well, why can't we just do this? Why can't we just have everyone come every day?'\" he said. \"And so I had to really reaffirm (in the July board meeting) that we’re looking at our health information from our state health department and the CDC.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56501\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Sonal-Patel-e1597991479505.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Sonal Patel, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>San Leandro Unified School District, California\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>9,056 students, 978 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On dealing with dual pandemics: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.slusd.us/district-divisions-departments/educational-services-division/about-dr-sonal-patel/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Patel\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> spoke with MindShift just a week after the police killing of George Floyd sparked \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/868567696/america-reckons-with-racial-injustice\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nationwide protests\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and a month and half after a police officer \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/walmart-shooting-steven-taylor-man-killed-san-leando-police/6273284/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fatally shot\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> another Black man, Steven Taylor, in her own community. “Personally, I feel mad and hurt and overwhelmed by my own thoughts and emotions. It can be tough to be a leader while you're processing that in real time,” Patel said. “Even though I've been developing my stance as an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/category/antiracism\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">anti-racist educator\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for years, watching the world and our communities have to hold this kind of rage right now is very difficult,\" she said. In addition to the logistics of reopening schools, \"we're also battling this other corrosive virus plaguing our schools – white supremacy,\" she said. \"I think at times like this, schools become a really great place for people to find solidarity and comfort and to work through their emotions and thoughts and need for dialogue. To not be able to have that open for our students and families, (and for) our staff and our leaders in these coming weeks is tricky. So I’m just kind of thinking about how we go about doing that.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With two teenagers and a spouse at home \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55858/how-parents-can-coexist-with-disappointed-and-restless-college-students\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">competing for space and bandwidth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Patel initially continued to go to her district office to work after schools shut down. She soon realized, though, that being alone in the same building all day was isolating. Now that she works from home, her family members take turns making meals, and they shoot hoops together in the evenings. “As I was talking to you, to be delivered a hot cup of tea and a bagel by my kiddo is like, I'm fueled for the day,” Patel said. “They’re teenagers, and they would normally be running around and doing sports and activities with friends,\" she said. \"Just kind of like sitting next to them and chatting with them and processing the day has been a form of self-care because normally I don’t get that time with them.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The pandemic has forced Patel to get comfortable with changing her mind daily. “I like to think of myself as having a strong voice and vision, but I’ve had to change the metric for that,” she said. For instance, after her district adopted a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55889/why-grading-policies-for-equity-matter-more-than-ever\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pass/incomplete grading policy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the spring, she found that teachers were over-giving incompletes and she had to communicate differently about the policy’s purpose. Had that occurred prior to the pandemic, Patel might have judged herself for moving too fast, but now, she said, “all that's out the window because you just have to make decisions with what you know for this week or the next few weeks. And so my leadership lesson has been just how nauseous that makes me feel at times.” The antidote to that ailment, she said, is “figuring out how to get as much \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56038/how-indigenous-black-and-poc-educators-envision-a-better-school-experience\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">divergent voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as possible” when making decisions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56502\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Joe-Truss-e1597991523765.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"234\">Joe Truss, Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Visitacion Valley Middle School, San Francisco Unified School District, California\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>450 students (grades 6-8), 50 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On supporting teachers:\u003c/b> \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/trussleadership\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Truss\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said his role is all about connecting without controlling. “My number one job is making sure [teachers are] OK and seeing how they're doing and giving them what they need. And then priority two is giving them the space to figure it out as opposed to giving some mandates. With something that’s so crazy, like a sudden rush to remote learning and a pandemic going on in the background, you're going to need an innovative answer. And folks need \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56195/how-students-benefit-from-a-school-reopening-plan-designed-for-those-at-the-margins\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">time and space to innovate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and create.” His approach models how he wants teachers to treat students. “Because primarily with the kids, they should be connecting and checking in and also innovating their curriculum,\" he said. \"[Students] should be getting through this time, not worried about if they're going to fall behind or if they're going to pass or not pass. That shouldn't be anything that a kid is worried about when \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/16/816707182/map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a hundred thousand people\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> die.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “It’s a very \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55544/coronavirus-triple-duty-working-parenting-and-teaching-from-home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">stressful time for everybody\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but, you know, I’m trying to breathe, taking it one day at a time, trying to exercise a little bit. I happen to have just had a kid, so if I hadn't have had a newborn, I probably would have been running and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55533/exercise-tips-to-help-kids-teens-and-families-stay-balanced-at-home\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">exercising\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. But we also were pregnant and stuck at home with a toddler, you know? So it's not like I just have free time, to get on the Peloton. It's been a time with my family. You do the best you can.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership Lesson:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “Less is more. And, you know, people over profits, right? \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55595/staying-in-touch-why-kids-need-teachers-during-coronavirus-school-closings\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connection\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over standards. There's certain things that matter and certain things that don't matter, especially under these situations. If you love your people, give them the space to figure it out. They'll figure it out. Whatever I can model, I can expect from folks. It allows folks to do that a little bit more if they see me willing to be vulnerable or willing to say, ‘I don't have it figured out’ or willing to say ‘It's not working out. It's not good. It's not fair.’ Then we can kind of have an authentic conversation. As opposed to me giving a party line, like ‘Everything’s under control, people. Pay no attention to the flames.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56500\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Sharon-Contreras-scaled-e1597991570117.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"302\">Sharon Contreras, Superintendent\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003ci>Guilford County Schools, North Carolina\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003ci>73,000 students, 8,972 full-time staff\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On technology and equity: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/scontrerasGCS\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contreras\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 20 percent of her district’s families \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55976/survey-shows-big-remote-learning-gaps-for-low-income-and-special-needs-children\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">do not have enough devices\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the home for each child, and approximately 15 percent of students do not have access to cable modems or high speed internet. To fill in the gaps during emergency distance learning, Guilford County Schools distributed more than 17,000 devices to students and sent 40 smart buses into neighborhoods to provide Wi-Fi. Still, about 2,300 students never logged on, and thousands of others logged on only \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55701/4-in-10-u-s-teens-say-they-havent-done-online-learning-since-schools-closed\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sporadically\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “A lot is falling on school districts to try to resolve. And I think that school districts have done so much that parents believe it's our responsibility to provide broadband connectivity,” Contreras said, but she believes educators need to help shift that expectation. “It's the responsibility of federal government and the state government to make sure that the citizens of this country have high speed internet because there are very few things you can do any more without internet,\" she said. \"It is something that is an essential service — a public good that is necessary, required, like electricity and water. It should not be treated as a luxury.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>On self-care: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contreras said that the high-stress demands of the superintendent role makes self-care important but hard to achieve. “I would say that I'm a work in progress. But I wake up each morning, and I read the Bible, and I'm particularly inspired by The Message version of the Bible, which is plain, modern English. And then I walk three to five miles a day, exploring our county’s beautiful parks and nature trails. And during the pandemic, I started gardening and I enjoy the peace and joy that gardening brings to my life now.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Leadership lesson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You know, I'm a problem solver. A fixer. A real life Olivia Pope,” said Contreras. “I've had great success my entire career with addressing very complex problems and issues. And I learned I cannot fix the chaos that has ensued since the start of this pandemic. I can't give students and my faculty and staff, my families, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56247/high-schoolers-share-their-worlds-with-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">their lives as they once knew them\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> back.” Despite that reality check, she is inspired by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56118/5-radical-schooling-ideas-for-an-uncertain-fall-and-beyond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">innovations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sparked by the pandemic, such as her district’s rapid creation of a virtual school that will remain an option after the coronavirus outbreak. “While I cannot fix some of the issues that the pandemic caused,” she said, “I absolutely believe in radical hope. I believe we will create a better educational system. It will not be easy. But it will be relatively faster than the 300 plus years that we’ve lived in the current one. So I’m still optimistic.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "What Student Activists Want Teachers To Know About Virtual Learning and Reopening Schools",
"title": "What Student Activists Want Teachers To Know About Virtual Learning and Reopening Schools",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Earlier this summer, as her school district started discussing \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56430/how-safe-is-your-schools-reopening-plan-heres-what-to-look-for\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">how and when to reopen schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, 17-year-old Chloe Pressley noticed a missing voice. She and her friends were talking about the options, of course, yet school officials had only sought input from adults, including parents and staff. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That really concerned me honestly, because I was like, ‘I'm going to be the one who’s going to have to go to class every day and mask for, what, seven hours straight? And I'm not sure if I can do that, but nobody's asking me how I feel.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So Pressley got busy. The rising senior at C.D. Hylton High School in Virginia reached out to friends, circulated digital flyers and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wjla.com/news/local/prince-william-county-students-weigh-in-schools-reopening-board-votes\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">created a student voice hashtag\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to gather students’ input on what the fall semester should like. Then she called her school board representative. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56527\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56527 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Chloe-Pressley-e1597734926574.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"304\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chloe Pressley \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Chloe Pressley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“She picked up right away, which was surprising,” Pressley said, and in the weeks that followed, the board incorporated student feedback into its considerations of hybrid and remote learning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Board members aren’t the only ones who can benefit from hearing more student voices. In interviews with MindShift and at a recent journalism conference, Pressley and other high school activists shared how teachers can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56373/can-online-learning-be-better-this-fall-these-educators-think-so\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">improve distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uneven experiences\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the spring. What matters most, they said, is that virtual learning includes authentic work, social interaction and empathy for the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56247/high-schoolers-share-their-worlds-with-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges teenagers are facing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during the COVID-19 crisis.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Authentic work and human connections make a difference\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When schools closed last March, many districts could not ensure that all students had a computer and internet access for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/distance-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">virtual learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Instead, they used paper packets to replace classroom instruction and assignments. Those packets fulfilled the educational mission in word but not deed, according to Eric Luo, a rising senior at West Ranch High School in California. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There was just kind of busywork to fill out the rest of the year,” he said during a youth voices panel at the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ewa.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Education Writers Association\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> National Seminar in July. Luo, who is a co-founder of a youth-run grocery delivery service for at-risk individuals, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sixfeetsupplies.com/about\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Six Feet Supplies\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, said that this fall he wants his teachers to assign “actual work rather than just packets and multiple choice tests that don't really mean anything.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Busywork contributed to decreased motivation for many students, according to 17-year-old Krupa Hegde, a project lead for the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://prichardcommittee.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0724f72ab49b2ab8c4de76939&id=e7365b571f&e=712676e9af\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coping with COVID-19 Student-to-Student Survey\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” which was completed by more than 9,000 students in Kentucky in May. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the survey, 57% of students reported that they were less motivated during emergency distance learning, and 65% reported that they were less engaged. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56528\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56528 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/KrupaHegdeHeadshot-e1597734577168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Krupa Hegde \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krupa Hegde)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55595/staying-in-touch-why-kids-need-teachers-during-coronavirus-school-closings\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hearing from teachers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can mitigate those outcomes. Students whose teachers communicated with them two or more times per week were less likely to report a decrease in motivation than students whose teachers touched base less frequently, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.prichardcommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coping-with-COVID-Executive-Summary.pdf\">survey\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Teacher engagement has been huge with regards to students’ perception of their motivation and engagement,\" said Hegde, who is a rising senior at The Gatton Academy in Kentucky. \"There's a sweet spot for teachers to communicate where it's about once every day, but not too much and not too little.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Student activists also said they want virtual learning to include more live interaction. Zoe Monterola, Luo’s Six Feet Supplies co-founder and a rising senior at Valencia High School in California, said she wants teachers to “know how much we appreciate Zoom calls and having the personal connection with them, whether that be having open office hours or engaging online classes instead of just Google Classroom assignments.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Synchronous classes are important opportunities for interacting with peers in a time when many young people’s social lives have been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55729/how-will-social-isolation-during-covid-19-affect-our-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dramatically circumscribed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Social connections are, after all, “the good part of school” for many students, as 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi put it. Ahmadi is the communications coordinator for the youth climate action group \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthuprising.org/about-us/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Earth Uprising\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a rising senior at Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois. He told MindShift that his workload last spring was about the same as before, but most of his classes did not meet virtually. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were basically on our own,” he said. To improve virtual learning, Ahmadi suggested that teachers offer 15 to 30 minutes of live instruction, followed by small group exercises or time to ask questions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56530\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-800x533.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-1020x680.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-160x107.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-768x512.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohammad Ahmadi \u003ccite>(Photo by Zamaan Qureshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Teens’ struggles are real\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coupled with human connections, student activists want to see \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/empathy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">empathy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the numerous and varied challenges teenagers face right now. “(Teachers) shouldn’t expect us to be at top performance. It’s hard for students to perform and think and collaborate as they did before the pandemic,” said Ahmadi. For Monterola, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55748/with-senior-year-in-disarray-teens-and-young-adults-feel-lost-heres-how-to-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uncertainty around post-secondary plans\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was top of mind. “Being a rising senior, I'd want teachers to know that we have a lot of responsibilities and applying (to college) during a pandemic is hard. … The entire college application process has definitely been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/900173338/how-the-coronavirus-has-upended-college-admissions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">upended\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with the disruption in our school year from recommendations (to) extracurriculars, etcetera.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For some students, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis is the biggest concern. In the Kentucky study, nearly one-third of students had parents who lost a job or experienced reduced hours or pay cuts since the start of the pandemic. Those students reported more worries about school, and students who took on more work themselves were most likely to spend less than one hour per day on school. Schools need to ensure that such students are supported moving forward, said Stephanie Pacheco, a member of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.teenstakecharge.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teens Take Charge\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a student organizing group in New York City. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Now more than ever, I think that the issues that low-income students face on a regular basis ... they have been just so \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55976/survey-shows-big-remote-learning-gaps-for-low-income-and-special-needs-children\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">extremely highlighted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And I think it is crucial for teachers to not forget that the struggle that students are facing and have been facing throughout their entire schooling, they’re very real,” Pacheco said during the EWA youth voices panel.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With empathy for those struggles comes the need for flexibility. So even though teens wanted more live engagement in virtual learning, they also advocated for making asynchronous options available to students with limited internet access or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/teens-as-essential-workers-how-high-schoolers-stepped-up-for-family-during-covid-19/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">those who have jobs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/when-siblings-become-teachers-its-not-just-parents-who-find-themselves-thrust-into-the-demanding-role-of-at-home-educators/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">family responsibilities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during class times.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Seeking student voice\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As with everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people’s experiences will continue to change as public health conditions, the economy and family situations evolve. Responding to students’ needs will require educators to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56393/why-student-voice-is-critical-for-managing-discipline-when-schools-reopen\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">seek out student voices\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on a regular basis. Pressley recommended that teachers survey students before the school year begins to find out about their learning styles, schedules and other responsibilities. Hegde, too, advocated for teachers to ask students what’s working and not working, whether that’s through surveys or class discussions. In a year full of negative events, she believes that classroom spaces in which students feel free to voice those opinions — and where teachers implement meaningful changes — are most likely to result in a positive school experience.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"subhead": "Synchronous classes help students feel connected; busywork makes them feel disengaged.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Earlier this summer, as her school district started discussing \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56430/how-safe-is-your-schools-reopening-plan-heres-what-to-look-for\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">how and when to reopen schools\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, 17-year-old Chloe Pressley noticed a missing voice. She and her friends were talking about the options, of course, yet school officials had only sought input from adults, including parents and staff. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That really concerned me honestly, because I was like, ‘I'm going to be the one who’s going to have to go to class every day and mask for, what, seven hours straight? And I'm not sure if I can do that, but nobody's asking me how I feel.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So Pressley got busy. The rising senior at C.D. Hylton High School in Virginia reached out to friends, circulated digital flyers and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wjla.com/news/local/prince-william-county-students-weigh-in-schools-reopening-board-votes\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">created a student voice hashtag\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to gather students’ input on what the fall semester should like. Then she called her school board representative. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56527\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56527 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Chloe-Pressley-e1597734926574.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"304\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chloe Pressley \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Chloe Pressley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“She picked up right away, which was surprising,” Pressley said, and in the weeks that followed, the board incorporated student feedback into its considerations of hybrid and remote learning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Board members aren’t the only ones who can benefit from hearing more student voices. In interviews with MindShift and at a recent journalism conference, Pressley and other high school activists shared how teachers can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56373/can-online-learning-be-better-this-fall-these-educators-think-so\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">improve distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uneven experiences\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the spring. What matters most, they said, is that virtual learning includes authentic work, social interaction and empathy for the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56247/high-schoolers-share-their-worlds-with-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">challenges teenagers are facing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during the COVID-19 crisis.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Authentic work and human connections make a difference\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When schools closed last March, many districts could not ensure that all students had a computer and internet access for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/distance-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">virtual learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Instead, they used paper packets to replace classroom instruction and assignments. Those packets fulfilled the educational mission in word but not deed, according to Eric Luo, a rising senior at West Ranch High School in California. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There was just kind of busywork to fill out the rest of the year,” he said during a youth voices panel at the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ewa.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Education Writers Association\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> National Seminar in July. Luo, who is a co-founder of a youth-run grocery delivery service for at-risk individuals, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sixfeetsupplies.com/about\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Six Feet Supplies\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, said that this fall he wants his teachers to assign “actual work rather than just packets and multiple choice tests that don't really mean anything.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Busywork contributed to decreased motivation for many students, according to 17-year-old Krupa Hegde, a project lead for the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://prichardcommittee.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0724f72ab49b2ab8c4de76939&id=e7365b571f&e=712676e9af\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coping with COVID-19 Student-to-Student Survey\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” which was completed by more than 9,000 students in Kentucky in May. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the survey, 57% of students reported that they were less motivated during emergency distance learning, and 65% reported that they were less engaged. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56528\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56528 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/KrupaHegdeHeadshot-e1597734577168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Krupa Hegde \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krupa Hegde)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55595/staying-in-touch-why-kids-need-teachers-during-coronavirus-school-closings\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hearing from teachers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can mitigate those outcomes. Students whose teachers communicated with them two or more times per week were less likely to report a decrease in motivation than students whose teachers touched base less frequently, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.prichardcommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coping-with-COVID-Executive-Summary.pdf\">survey\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Teacher engagement has been huge with regards to students’ perception of their motivation and engagement,\" said Hegde, who is a rising senior at The Gatton Academy in Kentucky. \"There's a sweet spot for teachers to communicate where it's about once every day, but not too much and not too little.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Student activists also said they want virtual learning to include more live interaction. Zoe Monterola, Luo’s Six Feet Supplies co-founder and a rising senior at Valencia High School in California, said she wants teachers to “know how much we appreciate Zoom calls and having the personal connection with them, whether that be having open office hours or engaging online classes instead of just Google Classroom assignments.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Synchronous classes are important opportunities for interacting with peers in a time when many young people’s social lives have been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55729/how-will-social-isolation-during-covid-19-affect-our-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dramatically circumscribed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Social connections are, after all, “the good part of school” for many students, as 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi put it. Ahmadi is the communications coordinator for the youth climate action group \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthuprising.org/about-us/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Earth Uprising\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a rising senior at Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois. He told MindShift that his workload last spring was about the same as before, but most of his classes did not meet virtually. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were basically on our own,” he said. To improve virtual learning, Ahmadi suggested that teachers offer 15 to 30 minutes of live instruction, followed by small group exercises or time to ask questions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56530\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-800x533.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-1020x680.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-160x107.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-768x512.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mohammad-Ahmadi2-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohammad Ahmadi \u003ccite>(Photo by Zamaan Qureshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Teens’ struggles are real\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coupled with human connections, student activists want to see \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/empathy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">empathy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the numerous and varied challenges teenagers face right now. “(Teachers) shouldn’t expect us to be at top performance. It’s hard for students to perform and think and collaborate as they did before the pandemic,” said Ahmadi. For Monterola, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55748/with-senior-year-in-disarray-teens-and-young-adults-feel-lost-heres-how-to-help\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uncertainty around post-secondary plans\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was top of mind. “Being a rising senior, I'd want teachers to know that we have a lot of responsibilities and applying (to college) during a pandemic is hard. … The entire college application process has definitely been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/900173338/how-the-coronavirus-has-upended-college-admissions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">upended\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with the disruption in our school year from recommendations (to) extracurriculars, etcetera.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For some students, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis is the biggest concern. In the Kentucky study, nearly one-third of students had parents who lost a job or experienced reduced hours or pay cuts since the start of the pandemic. Those students reported more worries about school, and students who took on more work themselves were most likely to spend less than one hour per day on school. Schools need to ensure that such students are supported moving forward, said Stephanie Pacheco, a member of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.teenstakecharge.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teens Take Charge\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a student organizing group in New York City. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Now more than ever, I think that the issues that low-income students face on a regular basis ... they have been just so \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55976/survey-shows-big-remote-learning-gaps-for-low-income-and-special-needs-children\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">extremely highlighted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And I think it is crucial for teachers to not forget that the struggle that students are facing and have been facing throughout their entire schooling, they’re very real,” Pacheco said during the EWA youth voices panel.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With empathy for those struggles comes the need for flexibility. So even though teens wanted more live engagement in virtual learning, they also advocated for making asynchronous options available to students with limited internet access or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/teens-as-essential-workers-how-high-schoolers-stepped-up-for-family-during-covid-19/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">those who have jobs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/when-siblings-become-teachers-its-not-just-parents-who-find-themselves-thrust-into-the-demanding-role-of-at-home-educators/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">family responsibilities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during class times.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Seeking student voice\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As with everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people’s experiences will continue to change as public health conditions, the economy and family situations evolve. Responding to students’ needs will require educators to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56393/why-student-voice-is-critical-for-managing-discipline-when-schools-reopen\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">seek out student voices\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on a regular basis. Pressley recommended that teachers survey students before the school year begins to find out about their learning styles, schedules and other responsibilities. Hegde, too, advocated for teachers to ask students what’s working and not working, whether that’s through surveys or class discussions. In a year full of negative events, she believes that classroom spaces in which students feel free to voice those opinions — and where teachers implement meaningful changes — are most likely to result in a positive school experience.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>At the Bruneau-Grandview School District in rural southern Idaho, a couple of dozen teachers are crowded into the small library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They're doing a refresher training for online teaching. In person-classes are scheduled to begin Monday, but with coronavirus cases continuing to rise in Idaho and other states, it's an open question for how long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Ryan Cantrell, who's helping lead the Google Classroom training, is advising his staff that last-minute decisions will be the unfortunate normal this upcoming school year. Parents have the option of sending their kids to school this week, or staying fully online or some combination of both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent survey indicated that about three-quarters of the district's families were comfortable sending their kids back to school this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the district abruptly went to online-only last spring, Cantrell says some students dropped off the map and learning suffered, especially in outlying areas where there's little or no Internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's a general consensus of let's get moving,\" Cantrell says. \"Let's get the kids back in here so that we can find out where they're at, how we can help them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those kids who do return can expect some changes. Desks will be spaced apart in classrooms and classes are being staggered to minimize the number of students in the hall at one time. The school day will also be shortened to allow for more online teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a small rural school like this, teachers like Maya Davis will be expected to work in both worlds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That will be a little bit challenging to navigate because teaching online itself was a full-time job, and obviously teaching in a classroom is a full-time job,\" Davis said. \"But we're just making it work.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools around the country have been grappling with how or even whether to reopen. In the two isolated farming towns of Grandview and Bruneau, which form the joint school district, there are fewer than a dozen known COVID-19 cases. But in nearby more-urban counties, where some of the staff here commute from, infection rates continue to climb out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Idaho, public health experts have warned that schools that are reopening may just have to close down again because it's not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the training, Davis, who teaches third grade, was one of only a handful of teachers wearing a mask. Masks won't be required this semester, except on school buses. She and a few other staffers commute one hour each way from the Boise area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I wear a mask just to protect my community,\" Davis says.\"I don't want to be the one coming from Boise bringing COVID into the community.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Masks just aren't that common in this mostly isolated, rural community along the Snake River, where social distancing is generally a fact of life. And in small towns like this, the school is often a reflection of a community's values, says superintendent Cantrell. Yet it feels almost inevitable to him that there will be coronavirus cases soon after in-person classes resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think it's only a matter of time before we're back to all virtual,\" Cantrell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56547\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/img_6352-9f09b4812bc39f04d3e3ac0950a96ffd171f0f28-scaled-e1597940584420.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Superintendent Ryan Cantrell wants to get students back in class, even if just temporarily, after months of uncertainty and struggles with distance learning. \u003ccite>(Kirk Siegler/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He'll work closely with the local public health district to do contact tracing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I expect almost immediately to have to start making decisions about who comes to school, who's quarantined, do we need to shut school down for two weeks,\" Cantrell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is widely seen as an uncomfortable reality in Idaho, where generally most state leaders have been pushing for businesses and schools to reopen. This is one of the most politically red corners of the country, yet the state also now has a big red mark next to it as having one of the nation's fastest growing rates of coronavirus infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some larger school districts in the state are beginning the school year all online. And public health experts have warned schools that are reopening that they may just have to close down again because it's not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Listening to experts to set policy is an elitist approach,\" said state. Sen. Steven Thayn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent legislative hearing, Thayn, vice chair of an education committee, pushed a bill that would take authority away from Idaho's local health districts so they can't enforce school closures or mandatory mask orders. Many Republicans argued that local school boards should have the final say, not public health experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bill and another that would limit a school's liability when it comes to coronavirus lawsuits is likely to be debated in a special session of the Legislature later this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are a lot of people that are willing to go back to school, willing to go back to work and yet we're letting a few fearful people control the lives of those of us that are not fearful,\" Thayn said at the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bruneau-Grandview district anyway, there is certainly some fear about the virus. But school leaders are also worried about students not learning. The district had long been labeled as poor-performing and things had started to turn around until the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is just another pressure point for schools across the country, and there's no clear blueprint on how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, Davis says she's just hoping to keep herself safe and her classroom clean \"and teach my kids as much as I possibly can.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of her first lesson plans for Monday will be a Zoom session with a friend who's a doctor who has treated coronavirus patients. They'll discuss with the third-graders the severity of the virus and how they can protect themselves and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Rural+Schools+Struggle+With+Road+Ahead+In+Era+Of+Coronavirus&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>At the Bruneau-Grandview School District in rural southern Idaho, a couple of dozen teachers are crowded into the small library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They're doing a refresher training for online teaching. In person-classes are scheduled to begin Monday, but with coronavirus cases continuing to rise in Idaho and other states, it's an open question for how long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Ryan Cantrell, who's helping lead the Google Classroom training, is advising his staff that last-minute decisions will be the unfortunate normal this upcoming school year. Parents have the option of sending their kids to school this week, or staying fully online or some combination of both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent survey indicated that about three-quarters of the district's families were comfortable sending their kids back to school this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the district abruptly went to online-only last spring, Cantrell says some students dropped off the map and learning suffered, especially in outlying areas where there's little or no Internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's a general consensus of let's get moving,\" Cantrell says. \"Let's get the kids back in here so that we can find out where they're at, how we can help them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those kids who do return can expect some changes. Desks will be spaced apart in classrooms and classes are being staggered to minimize the number of students in the hall at one time. The school day will also be shortened to allow for more online teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a small rural school like this, teachers like Maya Davis will be expected to work in both worlds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That will be a little bit challenging to navigate because teaching online itself was a full-time job, and obviously teaching in a classroom is a full-time job,\" Davis said. \"But we're just making it work.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools around the country have been grappling with how or even whether to reopen. In the two isolated farming towns of Grandview and Bruneau, which form the joint school district, there are fewer than a dozen known COVID-19 cases. But in nearby more-urban counties, where some of the staff here commute from, infection rates continue to climb out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Idaho, public health experts have warned that schools that are reopening may just have to close down again because it's not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the training, Davis, who teaches third grade, was one of only a handful of teachers wearing a mask. Masks won't be required this semester, except on school buses. She and a few other staffers commute one hour each way from the Boise area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I wear a mask just to protect my community,\" Davis says.\"I don't want to be the one coming from Boise bringing COVID into the community.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Masks just aren't that common in this mostly isolated, rural community along the Snake River, where social distancing is generally a fact of life. And in small towns like this, the school is often a reflection of a community's values, says superintendent Cantrell. Yet it feels almost inevitable to him that there will be coronavirus cases soon after in-person classes resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think it's only a matter of time before we're back to all virtual,\" Cantrell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56547\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/img_6352-9f09b4812bc39f04d3e3ac0950a96ffd171f0f28-scaled-e1597940584420.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Superintendent Ryan Cantrell wants to get students back in class, even if just temporarily, after months of uncertainty and struggles with distance learning. \u003ccite>(Kirk Siegler/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He'll work closely with the local public health district to do contact tracing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I expect almost immediately to have to start making decisions about who comes to school, who's quarantined, do we need to shut school down for two weeks,\" Cantrell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is widely seen as an uncomfortable reality in Idaho, where generally most state leaders have been pushing for businesses and schools to reopen. This is one of the most politically red corners of the country, yet the state also now has a big red mark next to it as having one of the nation's fastest growing rates of coronavirus infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some larger school districts in the state are beginning the school year all online. And public health experts have warned schools that are reopening that they may just have to close down again because it's not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Listening to experts to set policy is an elitist approach,\" said state. Sen. Steven Thayn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent legislative hearing, Thayn, vice chair of an education committee, pushed a bill that would take authority away from Idaho's local health districts so they can't enforce school closures or mandatory mask orders. Many Republicans argued that local school boards should have the final say, not public health experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bill and another that would limit a school's liability when it comes to coronavirus lawsuits is likely to be debated in a special session of the Legislature later this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are a lot of people that are willing to go back to school, willing to go back to work and yet we're letting a few fearful people control the lives of those of us that are not fearful,\" Thayn said at the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bruneau-Grandview district anyway, there is certainly some fear about the virus. But school leaders are also worried about students not learning. The district had long been labeled as poor-performing and things had started to turn around until the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is just another pressure point for schools across the country, and there's no clear blueprint on how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, Davis says she's just hoping to keep herself safe and her classroom clean \"and teach my kids as much as I possibly can.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of her first lesson plans for Monday will be a Zoom session with a friend who's a doctor who has treated coronavirus patients. They'll discuss with the third-graders the severity of the virus and how they can protect themselves and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Rural+Schools+Struggle+With+Road+Ahead+In+Era+Of+Coronavirus&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "‘If I Could Handle This, I Can Handle Anything’: First-Year Teachers Reflect on the Pandemic",
"title": "‘If I Could Handle This, I Can Handle Anything’: First-Year Teachers Reflect on the Pandemic",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jamie Wong Baesa had been dreaming of her first year as a teacher since she was 7 years old, when she would line up her stuffed animals and launch into a lesson.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia Frazier, too, spent years envisioning the day she would get to walk into her own classroom. Kids from the neighborhood would often stop Frazier’s mother, a school principal, in the supermarket to tell her how much she’d changed their life. Each time that happened, Frazier was that much more certain that teaching was what she wanted to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For others, the calling didn’t come as early. Kristen Stein and Lauren Bayersdorfer realized they wanted to be in the classroom midway through college, switching their majors from cybersecurity and accounting, respectively, to pursue careers in teaching. Steve Middleton worked as an engineer for more than a decade before transitioning to education. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regardless of the experiences and interactions that led these educators to the field, each entered their first year of teaching—the 2019-20 school year—filled with excitement, eagerness and anxiety. They didn’t quite know what to expect—what kind of students they’d have in class, what crises may come up, where they would excel or fall short. And certainly none of them could have anticipated the arrival of a global pandemic that would force schools nationwide to close their doors and develop long-term remote learning plans on the fly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">First-year teachers already face many challenges. The job is unpredictable, and for newcomers, that can be intimidating. Many of the nine first-time teachers featured in this story said that the fall semester was all about getting the hang of teaching—learning how to juggle after-hours responsibilities like grading and emailing, establishing their teaching styles and building relationships with students. When they started the second semester, most felt like, finally, they had figured it out. Then COVID-19 changed everything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Frazier, a fourth grade teacher in Hinesville, Ga., describes, “I will always remember my first year by the pandemic ... knowing that COVID really just kind of came in and cut the school year almost in half. But I'll also remember we got through it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though their experiences are unique, nearly every educator interviewed for this story said the hardest part of remote learning was the loss of student connection and the way their relationships suffered. They worried about kids who were already struggling, and about those with unstable home environments. They missed the silly jokes and the sound students make when they finally understand a new concept. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite all that COVID-19 took away, many first-year teachers noted that they learned more about teaching and themselves than they likely would have in an average year. They gained confidence in their abilities. And they found it comforting that during remote learning, none of the teachers—not even the veterans—really knew what they were doing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In reflecting on the last year, they also expressed concern about the upcoming one. What will it be like to do this all over again, but with students they don’t know? How will they build trust and make the impact that drew them to this field?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The nine educators profiled below together represent seven U.S. states, from California and New Jersey to Oklahoma and Georgia. Some held live video calls with students during remote learning in the spring. Others haven’t seen their students’ faces since March. Some taught students who lost family members to COVID-19, or who nearly succumbed to it themselves. Others haven’t really felt the effects of the virus yet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are their stories—as told to EdSurge reporter Emily Tate, lightly edited and condensed for clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56472\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Jamie-Wong-Baesa-e1597214825889.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Jamie Wong Baesa\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 24\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seventh grade math\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>Lorena Middle School in Lorena, Texas\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>About 140\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>: One\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Technology classes in teacher prep program: \u003c/b>Four, including one graduate class\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience:\u003c/b> Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>: $40,000\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>Excited, nervous, eager\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>Relieved, uncertain, thankful\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just before spring break, shortly after all the students at Lorena Middle School had finished reading “Call of the Wild,” they went on a field trip to see the film adaptation of the novel in theaters. Everything seemed completely normal, Jamie Wong Baesa recalls. She told students goodbye, expecting to see them after break in a week. That’s when COVID-19 hit. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wong Baesa’s district did not meet in person again after that, and there was no live instruction during remote learning. She didn’t get to see or talk to her seventh graders after spring break. Instead, her middle school assigned a different subject for each day of the week. Wong Baesa, the only seventh-grade math teacher at her school, taught math to all seventh grade students on Mondays via pre-recorded video lessons, and spent the other days grading and planning for upcoming lessons.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a normal school day, in person, I teach six periods. So, during first period, if the lesson doesn't work, it becomes apparent very quickly. And then it's like, ‘Well, scratch that. I'll reteach it tomorrow.’ But with remote learning, it was a lot harder because there were maybe two or three lessons where it just flopped. Students were like, ‘We don't get this at all.’ All their work was wrong. I’m like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ But by that point it was already too late, because e\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">veryone had already seen the lesson and didn’t get to try again till the next week. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the challenges was that I'd never taught this stuff before to a live audience, and now I had to figure out how to teach it to a remote audience. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that was definitely difficult—wrestling with how to\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> make this accessible on technology in a way that [students] can understand. Because you miss the facial expressions, the ways they can instantaneously ask questions in real life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was hard not being able to check in and see how they're doing—learning from administrators, ‘Oh, yeah, he's taking care of his four younger siblings and that's why he hasn't been doing his math homework,' or hearing from distressed parents, ‘I'm so sorry, we haven't had electricity,’ or ‘We have five kids, and they're all sharing one computer.' And you're like, ‘Oh, there's so much more to this school dynamic and day.’ It helped me remember what's really important in this time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56477\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"648\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width.png 1600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-800x324.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-1020x413.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-160x65.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-768x311.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-1536x622.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Jamie Wong Baesa's seventh grade math class in Lorena, Texas. Right: The desk area where she taught during remote learning. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jamie Wong Baesa)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I kept thinking about my students who had hard home lives or [those who] would get really frustrated when they do mathematics, and not being able to just pull them aside and say, ‘Hey, you're doing great. You're going to be okay.’ That was really hard. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And [at times] I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm totally failing as a teacher,’ but having to reconcile that with, ‘O.K., everybody's learning, we're doing the best we can do. At the end of the day, if the students don't know this one concept, they're probably going to be okay.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think, at the end of the year, remote learning helped confirm that I am in teaching for the relationships. Being able to see students learn and grow and develop has been so big for me. Especially because COVID took some of that away, it just made me realize that, without relationships, it would be a lot harder to believe deeply in what I do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I think about next year, if we don't have any sort of face-to-face component and we do have to go online,I don't know how that will work. Especially if it's with students who I've never met in the flesh before.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56478\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long-e1597215145530.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Hannah Long\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 26\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">T-K and kindergarten\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School\u003c/b>: Two Rock Union Elementary in Petaluma, Calif.\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 20\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One, plus an adorable dog\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: $46,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Passionate, driven, excited\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Devastated, incomplete, hopeless\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After studying painting and printmaking in college, Hannah Long spent a few years as a full-time artist. While working at an art studio for young children, her boss said she was such a natural with kids and ought to become a teacher. And that’s exactly what she did. The irony is that Long’s own experience in school was not wholly positive. She was diagnosed with severe dyslexia and ADHD in third grade, and her elementary school years were shaped by those learning challenges. She describes herself as one of the kids who was “left behind” during the No Child Left Behind era. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, she teaches “littles”—T-K and kindergarteners—at a rural elementary school in Northern California, about a 10-minute drive from where she grew up. When school closed during COVID-19, about half of her students lacked internet access or devices, so she used a combination of online learning and paper packets and sent each student handmade sensory bags—filled with items like glue, bubbles, Play-Doh and water beads. Given their young age, Long says it was difficult to teach 4- and 5-year-olds virtually and keep everyone on track. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“COVID-19 happened and we were told we all had to have websites, so we made websites. Then we were told we were using Google Classroom [instead], so we scrapped the websites and made a Google Classroom. And then I was told that six of my kids didn't have internet or devices. It was probably more like 10 kids that either didn't have a device, internet or accessibility—so almost half of my class. So then we were doing paper packets, as well as having all the information online. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Live Zoom meetings] turned into more checking in and talking. They got over—very quickly—doing anything academic. ... I guess the buy-in wasn't there. When I teach in my classroom, I can give the kids games where they don't realize that they're learning, and they can be really enthusiastic. There was less of that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of quarantine, the idea that ‘It's OK to not be OK’ was floating around. And that's very untrue. When I had a Zoom call, there was no ‘not being OK.’ There was no texting their parents, like, ‘Having a bad day. Your child doesn't get to learn today.’ \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56479\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56479\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos from Hannah Long teaching in her T-K/K classroom in Petaluma, Calif. before the pandemic. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hannah Long)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that was hard because it's like, I have a life. I have a mom with cancer. My wedding was being canceled. My fianc\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">é\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is in a high-risk group. It was a scary time. And so to say, ‘Everything is fine’ and to reinforce, ‘It's going to be OK’ and to try to explain that to kids was difficult. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I could say, ‘I'm feeling a little sad today’ or ‘Miss Hannah is having a hard day,’ but I couldn't not show up for my kids. There was a day when I was crying and then my fianc\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">é\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was like, ‘What's wrong?’ And I was like, ‘This, this, this’ and ‘I’m scared.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh! I have a Zoom meeting’ and wiped the tears off my eyes and [logged in and] was like, ‘GOOD MOOORNING!’ So that was really hard.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And this might be because I'm a novice teacher or just maybe my personality, but I have a hard time setting boundaries. I knew this was hard for parents. And I don't have kids. So when I was done Zooming at the end of the day, I could just go do whatever I wanted. I knew that parents were in a hard situation, and I just wanted to make sure that I was there for them as much as possible. I was getting messages late at night that they couldn't figure out something, so I would get on the computer with them and work it out for an hour. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I feel like there's the 26-year-old me and there's teacher Hannah. I'm Hannah, and then I’m Miss Hannah—the same person, but different. It was exhausting to be constantly ‘on,’ and to have to be OK [even] if you’re having a hard day. But at the same time, the parent involvement and being able to see the parents get really involved with their kids was amazing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next year, I'll be a second-year teacher. And that’s not what parents want. I mean, I wouldn't want to be on a pilot's first flight. So it's hard. I kind of had to win over my parents this year—and I did, a lot of them—but how do you do that if you’re remote? And the beginning of T-K is like, ‘This is what we do in class.’ And it's repeating myself over and over again: ‘We sit criss-cross applesauce with our hands in our laps … our eyes are on me,’ and then it’s forming a classroom community. How do you create a strong classroom community and a bond with your kids over a computer?\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56480\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora-e1597215241824.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Geri Zamora\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th grade U.S. history\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">George Washington High School in Chicago\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 150\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Yes\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One semester\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> $54,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Excited, determined, eager\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Resilient, relieved, excited\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything was falling into place last summer for Geri Zamora, a first-generation college student who was born in Costa Rica and raised in Chicago. They had just landed a job teaching U.S. history at Chicago Public Schools and started their teaching career, a dream of Zamora’s since childhood. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then came the Chicago teacher strike. At the time, Zamora thought the strike would be the biggest event of their first year as a teacher. But it proved to be the first of many major challenges—and losses—that they would weather. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“During the strike, the main concern was financial. [It was] my first year out of college, I had a whole bunch of loans, I had just gotten an apartment in Chicago with my best friend, and I didn't know when I'd go back to work. My mom was in no position to help me financially—I make more than she does. She's a single mom and all of my other family is in Costa Rica.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After the strike, unfortunately, at my school, we had some other tragedies due to gang violence and gun violence. And then there was a really terrible [car] accident where we lost two seniors. So we had a very heavy year already as a school. And then the shift to remote learning happened. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So first semester … woof. But the second semester—that adjustment from not only figuring out what kind of teacher I wanted to be, but [also] how to translate that to a computer—was really difficult.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56481\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56481\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Geri Zamora's classroom at George Washington High School, part of Chicago Public Schools. Right: Zamora’s desk setup for remote learning. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geri Zamora)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burnout from remote learning was very real. I'm not sure what about my experience made it so bearable. I had a lot of community support. I have really lovely people in my life that were willing to hear me out, to listen to all my frustrations when I needed support. But some of my coworkers who are veteran teachers were having an incredibly difficult time through this. It just felt like I was seeing all these lovely plants wilt, and it killed me because, you know, I'm just a sapling. I want to grow up to be like them. And if I'm seeing them wilt, I mean, it's discouraging. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we got to a point [with remote learning] where we were like, well, we're doing our best. And if students come, perfect. But it's a pandemic on their end, too. A lot of my kids were going through battles. These kids carry more on their shoulders than the average adult. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of my students caught COVID … and was on a ventilator—no health issues prior to this—and she almost died. She's fine now, but things like that were going on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One thing we did to cope was on Friday nights we’d have movie nights, and we’d just watch something together [as a class]. Little virtual things, where I was connecting with my kids, made it at least a little bit more doable. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite all of the changes and turbulence, I really felt like I was where I belonged. It’s now 100 percent ingrained that this was the job I was meant to do. If I could handle this, I can handle anything. And I think that goes for anyone else who is still really into this profession at the end of this. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year in general was a big self-discovery year for me, not only as a teacher. My gender identity has always been something I kind of questioned. I identify as non-binary. I've told my coworkers. But I wasn't out to students. I wasn't out at school. I was really reflecting, especially during the pandemic, on how I want to present myself in the classroom and what my kids need. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of the year, I was just Ms. Zamora. But after this year, I'm like, I don't really care what people think. And I have a lot of students that maybe could benefit from knowing that they have a queer teacher. So fall 2020, I'll make my debut as Mx. Zamora.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56482\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier-e1597215332662.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Mikia D. Frazier\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fourth grade language arts and writing\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joseph Martin Elementary School in Hinesville, Ga.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 125\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Excited, prepared, thankful\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grateful, impactful, hopeful\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia Frazier comes from a family of educators, the most influential of whom is her mother, a high school principal. After dreaming of becoming a teacher for nearly 20 years, Frazier secured a job at a school that serves many military families, due to the district’s proximity to the Fort Stewart Army base in eastern Georgia. While Frazier was teaching in the 2019-20 school year, she was also taking online courses to earn her master’s degree in elementary education, which she recently completed. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her district is one-to-one, and Frazier started using learning technologies with her students in the first semester, but that still didn’t prepare them—or her—for full-time remote learning in the spring. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My first year was definitely a whirlwind. But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I loved every minute of it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I absolutely loved my students. I loved going to work every day. … Then of course, in the middle of the school year, out of literally nowhere, there's a pandemic, and no one really knows what to do. One day it’s, ‘OK, well, we're going to take a week off from school and we'll be back next week.’ And then ‘next week’ turned into two weeks, and then two weeks turned into next month and next month turned into the next semester. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was kind of sad to see my first year of teaching cut short. But one thing I can say is that, as a first-year teacher, it taught me how to adapt. Education is always unpredictable, but we just kind of learned to roll with the punches that came with a pandemic. It was uncharted territory for everyone. No one really knew what to do. So I didn’t feel like the first-year teacher who was just clueless. Everybody was in the same boat at that point.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being that we’re very technology-heavy in our classrooms, it was a more seamless transition to remote learning, because our students had knowledge of what Google Classroom is, what Canvas is and how they can use it at home. The difference was that Ms. Frazier was talking to you through a screen as opposed to sitting in front of you or standing next to your desk. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we first went digital, I felt like I was trying to continue teaching as if I were still in the classroom. Next year, I want to focus more on having them engage with the content so that they're actually gathering their own thoughts and ideas. Of course, I’ll still teach, but I want to give them more opportunities through digital platforms for them to engage with whatever concepts we're learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56483\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56483\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Mikia Frazier’s fourth grade classroom in Hinesville, Ga., Right: Frazier’s remote learning setup. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia D. Frazier)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My students surprised me so much. They just kind of jumped right in and they were able to adapt to it. So that was something that brought me a little bit of peace, knowing that, ‘OK, well, it's not all terrible. My kids are still working. They're still learning.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The most difficult part of remote learning was not seeing my students. I’m really big on interaction, and seeing them every day really just changes the trajectory of any type of day I’m having. I’m a hugging kind of teacher. Anytime they see me, they want to hug and want to talk for hours. And just not being able to see my students in person, that was really difficult for me personally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I definitely learned that my passion for teaching stems from seeing my students thrive. I always knew that teaching was my dream career; I always knew that it was what I was going to do. But after going through the strain of a first year such as this one, it really proved to me that this is where I am supposed to be. Because most people would experience this pandemic and they would say, ‘Never again, there's definitely a new career for me somewhere.’ But I feel like this gave me much more strength to know that, no matter what comes in the way of my students’ learning, there's a way to break down that barrier, because COVID definitely became a major barrier to my students.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56484\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer-e1597215443440.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Lauren Bayersdorfer\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 24\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Algebra I and AP Calculus\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Weehawken High School in Weehawken, N.J.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: About 100\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One full-time student teaching placement; three once-a-week school placements\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: $65,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Nervous, excited, optimistic\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Relieved, defeated, inspired\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By the first day of school, Lauren Bayersdorfer was already wondering if she’d gotten in over her head. She had been a math major in college and was excited to teach the subject, but the then-23-year-old didn’t expect to be teaching AP Calculus to seniors. Nor did she expect to become the high school cheerleading coach, having never cheered a day in her life. In both cases, she had a lot to learn to be able to support her students in the ways they needed. Those commitments made for long days in the first semester. She describes grading papers while eating dinner and agonizing over lesson plans in the shower. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her district had been one-to-one with Chromebooks for several years when the pandemic hit, and she says teachers were given a lot of autonomy around how to conduct remote learning with their students. As a district located just across the Hudson River from New York City, many of Weehawken’s students and staff were affected personally by the pandemic. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[In the first semester, I wondered], ‘Are the kids going to be able to tell that I have no clue what I'm doing?’ That was my fear: ‘Can they tell how anxious I am, and how intimidated I am?’ With COVID, it was more like, ‘How can I make sure I'm doing my job well, given the circumstances?’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I really struggled to get all of my students into a Google Meet with me. Even if I held it the same time and day every week, I would still only have five to 10 students come—if that. There's not really a way to force kids to come, which is the problem. You can say you'll count it as a grade. They don't care. You can say, ‘We'll play hangman.’ They don't care. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So they don't care to come, and that's fine. [But] I wish I could have all 18 of my kids on camera so we could do a little activity—not even a math activity, just a bonding activity. I wish we were able to do that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There came a point where I just didn't stress it, because it's a tough time for everyone. As long as they were doing the work, that's what I cared about. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56485\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56485\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lauren Bayersdorfer with students from her cheerleading squad before the pandemic. Right: Bayersdorfer’s remote teaching setup. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lauren Bayersdorfer)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I definitely lost the connection with students. One of the reasons I enjoy my job is being able to see students. A teacher’s favorite sound is, “Ohhhhhh!” Like, when they finally get something? But you don't get to see those moments [online]. You don't get to see them struggling with a problem. You don't get to see them interacting with their peers. Those little memories that I have from the year—those are all pre-March. You don't really have those with virtual teaching, so I definitely missed that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our school got very lenient toward the end of the year because you can't expect kids to learn quadratics when they’re on their own, [especially] given the whole situation of COVID-19 and how especially impacted we were here [in New Jersey]. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My biggest question is did they actually learn? With math, it's just so easy to cheat—because of all the apps, because of their peers, because they're so connected all the time. It was just an ongoing question I had in my mind: Are they actually learning? And to what extent did they learn? That was a big question mark that me and my entire department had because it's just so easy to get the answers elsewhere.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56486\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-e1597215544219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Kristen Stein\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">26\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Fourth grade reading, writing, language arts and spelling\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> L W Westfall Elementary in Choctaw, Okla.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 40-45\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One semester\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> $36,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Hopeful, but also anxious and inadequate\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Accomplished, confident, thankful\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kristen Stein started college pursuing a career in cybersecurity, but soon switched her major to education, realizing that teaching is where she was “most naturally gifted.” After years of babysitting and working with children at her church, it felt like the right move. But the decision did not come without doubts. Stein’s student teaching experience was difficult, and led her to question whether she was cut out for this work and could continue doing it long-term. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given the challenges that arose during her first year teaching—at a district a few miles from where she grew up, just outside of Oklahoma City—some of those same concerns and insecurities presented themselves again. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was really a struggle to drive to work every day and convince myself I have what it takes to do this job. [But] it was really exciting at the end of the day to drive home and say, ‘That was worth doing.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first semester, I remember feeling a lot of stress and anxiety. There's so much more to teaching than writing lesson plans, standing up in front of kids and delivering those lessons. There's paperwork and emails and meetings and committees and entering grades. So I felt really blindsided by just the sheer amount of hours that it takes to really do this job well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I felt like, ‘Soon, they're going to realize I'm a sham and I'm not going to get asked back to teach here.’ And that's so scary. I felt a lot of that pressure and a little bit of imposter syndrome, even though everyone was so welcoming and encouraging. But I put down a lot of those burdens the second semester. I worked less hours. I tried to have a better balance of work and life. And from January to spring break, I laughed with my kids a lot more, and I noticed the fun things that were happening in their friendships. Releasing some of the pressure to perform perfectly helped me to enjoy all the little things that I was missing in that first semester. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56487\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56487\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"648\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein.png 1600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-800x324.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-1020x413.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-160x65.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-768x311.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-1536x622.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Kristen Stein's classroom in Choctaw, Okla. Right: Her remote learning setup from the spring, using a bookshelf as a desk. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kristen Stein)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then in the fourth quarter, everything was turned upside down. But when I think back on it, I enjoyed [remote learning] more than I expected. I found that it was such a great comfort that no one else knew what they were doing either. All of a sudden, I wasn't the only one that was out of my depths and confused and trying to keep up. And I felt more of a sense of, ‘We're all trying to figure this out together,’ rather than they all know what they're doing and I am the one that has no idea. So I felt more of a sense of belonging and community when everything was up in the air for \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">everyone\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, not just me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My first year … helped me to see that that's the nature of life. There are things that we're going through that are hard, and there are things that we're going through that give us a lot of joy, and those are happening at the same time. I had to choose, a lot of the time, which thing I was gonna focus on—and sometimes the struggle needed more of my attention. But at a certain point, I [could] choose to enjoy a relationship with one student that's going really well, even though I might be struggling in my relationship with another. My first year teaching taught me so much more about balance in life than any previous life stage.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56488\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj-e1597215622355.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Ranjini Nagaraj\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">22\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ninth grade science and 10th grade chemistry\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, Texas via Teach for America\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 150\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$54,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Inspired, excited, nervous\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Relieved, frustrated, reflective \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ranjini Nagaraj, a California native, is a Teach for America corps member serving in Texas while she applies to medical school. She teaches high school science and chemistry at a Title I school in Fort Worth with a student population that is about 70 percent Hispanic, including many English language learners. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Nagaraj came back from spring break in March, her school was scrambling to adjust to the new realities brought on by COVID-19. To complicate things further, the school had just suffered a malware attack—everything from copy machines to computers had stopped working, which caused delays in online learning among students and staff. In Nagaraj’s telling, the incident cost her class about three weeks of instructional time. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The first day of school, I was very nervous. I really had no idea what I was walking into. Being just out of college, living on my own basically for the first time, doing all of the adult things, along with being responsible for over 120 kids was very overwhelming. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The transition—like August, September and, honestly, most of October—was very difficult because I didn't have my lessons prepared more than two days in advance ... and being in the kind of school I was in, where there was so much emotional trauma and emotional baggage, was also a challenge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The best part of it, though, was getting to know my kids, having authentic conversations with them and really building those relationships, which helped me so much when I started in January again after the break. It was light years better than the first semester, which is why I was very frustrated when coronavirus hit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the beginning of March, I felt like I was finding my footing in terms of my relationships with the kids, figuring out the best ways to deliver a lesson, the best kinds of support I could give them. And that all changed when online learning started. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56489\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ranjini Nagaraj's classroom in Fort Worth, Texas before her school closed. Right: Nagaraj’s remote learning set-up at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ranjini Nagaraj)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We never went back after spring break. … I worried about all my kids all the time, honestly. Because they were in such unique circumstances. A lot of my kids had to look after their younger siblings because [their] parents were considered essential workers. And a lot of them—if they weren't in physical school—were expected to also contribute to their family's income by getting a job, like at a grocery store or in construction. So I worried a lot about their basic needs being met—if my kids had enough to eat, if my kids were doing OK mentally and emotionally. And especially for the kids that I was not able to get in contact with, that was really hard. Because of course my mind is going to worst-case scenarios.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I ended up adjusting my expectations a lot. Instead of being, like, ‘You didn't meet your growth goal of 10 percent over the unit. We're going to have a conversation,’ it was more like, ‘Was I able to have a good conversation with one kid today? Was I able to make one kid smile? Was I able to make one kid's day a little bit better?’ I realized that is what success should be for me in this situation. They're going to forget the chemistry that they learned, but I think it's harder to forget the impact that someone was able to make on them. Switching gears and focusing more on the social-emotional aspects of school was really beneficial for me in terms of the expectations that I had for myself and the expectations I had for my kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy--e1597215767772.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Ashley Levy\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">:\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Sixth grade\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newtown Elementary School in Newtown, Pa.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> About 75\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Four (family members)\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">N/A\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">:\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nervous, enthusiastic, passionate\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Inspired, dedicated, motivated\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For her first year in the classroom, Ashley Levy taught sixth grade at the elementary school she attended herself in Newtown, Penn. Many of the same staff—the librarian, the music teacher and others—were still at the school, and she enjoyed reintroducing herself to them as “Miss Levy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of Levy’s colleagues guided her through the first semester, answering the many questions that she had, showing her the ropes and supporting her through a big transition. During the second semester, Levy says, the tables were turned: As the youngest person on staff and one of the most technologically savvy, she got to “return the favor” by assisting other teachers as they adjusted to virtual learning. But even though she had the technology part down, Levy realized that other components of teaching—such as motivating students and maintaining relationships—were difficult to control from a distance. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I fully expected this first year to be very similar to student teaching. While I was student teaching, I was like, ‘Oh, this is what teaching is. This is what working in a school is like. This is great. I love it.’ I still had time to go hang out with friends and do whatever I wanted after school. And it's not that I did not have that this year, but when you walk in and you are the head teacher, you are responsible for so many things behind the scenes that you don't see during student teaching—that you don't see until you are put in the position yourself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So whether it was grading, benchmark testing, team meetings or planning ahead, it was very different than what I expected, solely because of the amount of work and the amount of dedication that it takes. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I don't want to be in any other profession. But it was a big surprise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the classroom, you have this routine that you get into. You get used to seeing the kids every morning, and you can feel out their moods. You can feel out how the rest of the day might go, simply based on when they walk in the room and the conversations you have. You can set the tone. You can create an environment where the kids want to be there and are excited to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56476\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy-.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy--160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ashley Levy's sixth grade classroom in Newtown, Pa., before her school closed due to COVID-19. Right: Levy’s remote learning set-up at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ashley Levy\u003c/span>\u003cb>)\u003c/b>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then, when you go virtual, you're totally separated from their personal lives. In school, they could come in and leave anything that was happening at home, at home. When you’re virtual, whatever's happening at home is brought to school because that \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> their school. That is where they're completing all of that work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I think the motivation factor was one of the most difficult parts of the second semester, because when you're in person, your attitude, your tone of voice, the things that you plan and the incentives or goals that you set for the class can motivate the students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part of me is happy that I got to be part of this crazy year, that I got to experience both virtual learning and in-person learning. Because while I hope that this is not something that we ever do have to experience again, it is always a possibility. So having had the opportunity to be a professional for the entire year and experience everything that came with it—both good and bad—was great. And it helped me gain more confidence for the fall.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56473\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton--e1597215836226.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"266\">Steve Middleton\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">42\u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Seventh grade digital communications\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ed White DATA Middle School Magnet Program in San Antonio, Texas\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 135\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> None — I live with my wife and two kids (ages 5 and 6)\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Student teaching experience: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$56,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Excited, cautious, proud\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Success, relief, sagacious\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About two years ago, after Steve Middleton was let go from his engineering job, he began to wonder if he was in the right field after all. He says he was a good engineer for over 10 years, but something was always missing. Plus, his two young children were growing up fast, and he wanted to be around for that. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This thinking led Middleton to make the leap into education last year. He got a job teaching digital communications to middle schoolers at a design and technology academy (DATA) in San Antonio.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I'm really good at thinking on my feet. As an engineer, I had a job once where I did a lot of computer-aided design, and I had a boss who wanted me to make changes to this big machine that we were designing. That was awful. He'd stand behind me and say, ‘OK, stretch this thing, make this bigger and then change this dimension.’ I had to do it in real time. Nobody does that, but I got really good at it. So that really helped me, when the second semester popped up, [since] no one had any warning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was concerned about my family. My kids are 5 and 6, and I had to help them with their distance learning and balance it out with my own work schedule. My kids are my world, and they needed my time. I couldn't stick them in front of a movie all day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being right next to them, like one wall away from them ... that was hard. But I knew what I was doing was important. It was very unfair for [my students] and their parents, what happened—that suddenly they're at home, and suddenly their parents are at home and they have to become their teacher now. From my point of view, doing that with my own kids—maybe I'm the greatest teacher in the world, but it doesn't matter. At home, I'm Dad. I'm not a teacher,. And so there is some confusion about dynamics and roles.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56474\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56474\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton-.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton--160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Steve Middleton's seventh grade classroom in San Antonio, Texas. Right: Middleton's remote teaching setup at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Steve Middleton)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It turns out that I got a lot more comfortable with ... the parts of myself that I've been kind of putting down, like being a little nerdy—I’m wearing a Stark Industries T-shirt—and being OK with that, and becoming a better, more patient dad from all this. I imagined my [own] kids in five years, thinking, ‘OK, if that was my kid in this classroom, how could I give them the best experience?’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I started the school year thinking teaching is about making students feel important and teaching them to be great people. I put that up on my board and I told the kids, ‘This is our class goal: I don't want you to be great students. No, I don't. I want you to be great people first, and then you will be great at anything that you do.’ That was really the goal. And I left with that being a lot more solidified in my mind, as a philosophy. It’s not about force-feeding students information. It’s about teaching them to navigate their lives, in any situation, and have confidence. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 10 years, how will I see this time? Is it significant to me in my life? Absolutely it is. I have to look at this as two different experiences in the same year, because everything did change and it was the most unique experience teaching, I think, that anybody could have ever had.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv role=\"document\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"Item.MessagePartBody\" class=\"_rp_T4\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"Item.MessageUniqueBody\" class=\"_rp_U4 ms-font-weight-regular ms-font-color-neutralDark rpHighlightAllClass rpHighlightBodyClass\">\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\">\n\u003cdiv>\u003ci>This story \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-11-if-i-could-handle-this-i-can-handle-anything-first-year-teachers-reflect-on-the-pandemic\">\u003ci>originally published\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> in EdSurge, a media outlet that covers the future of learning through news and research. Sign up for its weekly newsletters \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://accounts.edsurge.com/subscribers/new\">\u003ci>here\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"_pe_d _pe_62\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The move to emergency distance learning was tough for all teachers, but first-year teachers had a unique experience last spring. Despite all that COVID-19 took away, many first-year teachers noted that they learned more about teaching and themselves than they likely would have in an average year. ",
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"description": "The move to emergency distance learning was tough for all teachers, but first-year teachers had a unique experience last spring. Despite all that COVID-19 took away, many first-year teachers noted that they learned more about teaching and themselves than they likely would have in an average year. ",
"title": "‘If I Could Handle This, I Can Handle Anything’: First-Year Teachers Reflect on the Pandemic - MindShift",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jamie Wong Baesa had been dreaming of her first year as a teacher since she was 7 years old, when she would line up her stuffed animals and launch into a lesson.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia Frazier, too, spent years envisioning the day she would get to walk into her own classroom. Kids from the neighborhood would often stop Frazier’s mother, a school principal, in the supermarket to tell her how much she’d changed their life. Each time that happened, Frazier was that much more certain that teaching was what she wanted to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For others, the calling didn’t come as early. Kristen Stein and Lauren Bayersdorfer realized they wanted to be in the classroom midway through college, switching their majors from cybersecurity and accounting, respectively, to pursue careers in teaching. Steve Middleton worked as an engineer for more than a decade before transitioning to education. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regardless of the experiences and interactions that led these educators to the field, each entered their first year of teaching—the 2019-20 school year—filled with excitement, eagerness and anxiety. They didn’t quite know what to expect—what kind of students they’d have in class, what crises may come up, where they would excel or fall short. And certainly none of them could have anticipated the arrival of a global pandemic that would force schools nationwide to close their doors and develop long-term remote learning plans on the fly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">First-year teachers already face many challenges. The job is unpredictable, and for newcomers, that can be intimidating. Many of the nine first-time teachers featured in this story said that the fall semester was all about getting the hang of teaching—learning how to juggle after-hours responsibilities like grading and emailing, establishing their teaching styles and building relationships with students. When they started the second semester, most felt like, finally, they had figured it out. Then COVID-19 changed everything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Frazier, a fourth grade teacher in Hinesville, Ga., describes, “I will always remember my first year by the pandemic ... knowing that COVID really just kind of came in and cut the school year almost in half. But I'll also remember we got through it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though their experiences are unique, nearly every educator interviewed for this story said the hardest part of remote learning was the loss of student connection and the way their relationships suffered. They worried about kids who were already struggling, and about those with unstable home environments. They missed the silly jokes and the sound students make when they finally understand a new concept. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite all that COVID-19 took away, many first-year teachers noted that they learned more about teaching and themselves than they likely would have in an average year. They gained confidence in their abilities. And they found it comforting that during remote learning, none of the teachers—not even the veterans—really knew what they were doing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In reflecting on the last year, they also expressed concern about the upcoming one. What will it be like to do this all over again, but with students they don’t know? How will they build trust and make the impact that drew them to this field?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The nine educators profiled below together represent seven U.S. states, from California and New Jersey to Oklahoma and Georgia. Some held live video calls with students during remote learning in the spring. Others haven’t seen their students’ faces since March. Some taught students who lost family members to COVID-19, or who nearly succumbed to it themselves. Others haven’t really felt the effects of the virus yet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are their stories—as told to EdSurge reporter Emily Tate, lightly edited and condensed for clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56472\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Jamie-Wong-Baesa-e1597214825889.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Jamie Wong Baesa\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 24\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seventh grade math\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>Lorena Middle School in Lorena, Texas\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>About 140\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>: One\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Technology classes in teacher prep program: \u003c/b>Four, including one graduate class\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience:\u003c/b> Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>: $40,000\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>Excited, nervous, eager\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>Relieved, uncertain, thankful\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just before spring break, shortly after all the students at Lorena Middle School had finished reading “Call of the Wild,” they went on a field trip to see the film adaptation of the novel in theaters. Everything seemed completely normal, Jamie Wong Baesa recalls. She told students goodbye, expecting to see them after break in a week. That’s when COVID-19 hit. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wong Baesa’s district did not meet in person again after that, and there was no live instruction during remote learning. She didn’t get to see or talk to her seventh graders after spring break. Instead, her middle school assigned a different subject for each day of the week. Wong Baesa, the only seventh-grade math teacher at her school, taught math to all seventh grade students on Mondays via pre-recorded video lessons, and spent the other days grading and planning for upcoming lessons.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a normal school day, in person, I teach six periods. So, during first period, if the lesson doesn't work, it becomes apparent very quickly. And then it's like, ‘Well, scratch that. I'll reteach it tomorrow.’ But with remote learning, it was a lot harder because there were maybe two or three lessons where it just flopped. Students were like, ‘We don't get this at all.’ All their work was wrong. I’m like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ But by that point it was already too late, because e\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">veryone had already seen the lesson and didn’t get to try again till the next week. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the challenges was that I'd never taught this stuff before to a live audience, and now I had to figure out how to teach it to a remote audience. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that was definitely difficult—wrestling with how to\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> make this accessible on technology in a way that [students] can understand. Because you miss the facial expressions, the ways they can instantaneously ask questions in real life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was hard not being able to check in and see how they're doing—learning from administrators, ‘Oh, yeah, he's taking care of his four younger siblings and that's why he hasn't been doing his math homework,' or hearing from distressed parents, ‘I'm so sorry, we haven't had electricity,’ or ‘We have five kids, and they're all sharing one computer.' And you're like, ‘Oh, there's so much more to this school dynamic and day.’ It helped me remember what's really important in this time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56477\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"648\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width.png 1600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-800x324.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-1020x413.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-160x65.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-768x311.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Edited-Jamie-Wong-Baesa-full-width-1536x622.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Jamie Wong Baesa's seventh grade math class in Lorena, Texas. Right: The desk area where she taught during remote learning. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jamie Wong Baesa)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I kept thinking about my students who had hard home lives or [those who] would get really frustrated when they do mathematics, and not being able to just pull them aside and say, ‘Hey, you're doing great. You're going to be okay.’ That was really hard. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And [at times] I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm totally failing as a teacher,’ but having to reconcile that with, ‘O.K., everybody's learning, we're doing the best we can do. At the end of the day, if the students don't know this one concept, they're probably going to be okay.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think, at the end of the year, remote learning helped confirm that I am in teaching for the relationships. Being able to see students learn and grow and develop has been so big for me. Especially because COVID took some of that away, it just made me realize that, without relationships, it would be a lot harder to believe deeply in what I do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I think about next year, if we don't have any sort of face-to-face component and we do have to go online,I don't know how that will work. Especially if it's with students who I've never met in the flesh before.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56478\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long-e1597215145530.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Hannah Long\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 26\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">T-K and kindergarten\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School\u003c/b>: Two Rock Union Elementary in Petaluma, Calif.\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 20\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One, plus an adorable dog\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: $46,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Passionate, driven, excited\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Devastated, incomplete, hopeless\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After studying painting and printmaking in college, Hannah Long spent a few years as a full-time artist. While working at an art studio for young children, her boss said she was such a natural with kids and ought to become a teacher. And that’s exactly what she did. The irony is that Long’s own experience in school was not wholly positive. She was diagnosed with severe dyslexia and ADHD in third grade, and her elementary school years were shaped by those learning challenges. She describes herself as one of the kids who was “left behind” during the No Child Left Behind era. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, she teaches “littles”—T-K and kindergarteners—at a rural elementary school in Northern California, about a 10-minute drive from where she grew up. When school closed during COVID-19, about half of her students lacked internet access or devices, so she used a combination of online learning and paper packets and sent each student handmade sensory bags—filled with items like glue, bubbles, Play-Doh and water beads. Given their young age, Long says it was difficult to teach 4- and 5-year-olds virtually and keep everyone on track. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“COVID-19 happened and we were told we all had to have websites, so we made websites. Then we were told we were using Google Classroom [instead], so we scrapped the websites and made a Google Classroom. And then I was told that six of my kids didn't have internet or devices. It was probably more like 10 kids that either didn't have a device, internet or accessibility—so almost half of my class. So then we were doing paper packets, as well as having all the information online. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Live Zoom meetings] turned into more checking in and talking. They got over—very quickly—doing anything academic. ... I guess the buy-in wasn't there. When I teach in my classroom, I can give the kids games where they don't realize that they're learning, and they can be really enthusiastic. There was less of that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of quarantine, the idea that ‘It's OK to not be OK’ was floating around. And that's very untrue. When I had a Zoom call, there was no ‘not being OK.’ There was no texting their parents, like, ‘Having a bad day. Your child doesn't get to learn today.’ \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56479\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56479\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Hannah-Long-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos from Hannah Long teaching in her T-K/K classroom in Petaluma, Calif. before the pandemic. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hannah Long)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So that was hard because it's like, I have a life. I have a mom with cancer. My wedding was being canceled. My fianc\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">é\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is in a high-risk group. It was a scary time. And so to say, ‘Everything is fine’ and to reinforce, ‘It's going to be OK’ and to try to explain that to kids was difficult. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I could say, ‘I'm feeling a little sad today’ or ‘Miss Hannah is having a hard day,’ but I couldn't not show up for my kids. There was a day when I was crying and then my fianc\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">é\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was like, ‘What's wrong?’ And I was like, ‘This, this, this’ and ‘I’m scared.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh! I have a Zoom meeting’ and wiped the tears off my eyes and [logged in and] was like, ‘GOOD MOOORNING!’ So that was really hard.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And this might be because I'm a novice teacher or just maybe my personality, but I have a hard time setting boundaries. I knew this was hard for parents. And I don't have kids. So when I was done Zooming at the end of the day, I could just go do whatever I wanted. I knew that parents were in a hard situation, and I just wanted to make sure that I was there for them as much as possible. I was getting messages late at night that they couldn't figure out something, so I would get on the computer with them and work it out for an hour. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I feel like there's the 26-year-old me and there's teacher Hannah. I'm Hannah, and then I’m Miss Hannah—the same person, but different. It was exhausting to be constantly ‘on,’ and to have to be OK [even] if you’re having a hard day. But at the same time, the parent involvement and being able to see the parents get really involved with their kids was amazing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next year, I'll be a second-year teacher. And that’s not what parents want. I mean, I wouldn't want to be on a pilot's first flight. So it's hard. I kind of had to win over my parents this year—and I did, a lot of them—but how do you do that if you’re remote? And the beginning of T-K is like, ‘This is what we do in class.’ And it's repeating myself over and over again: ‘We sit criss-cross applesauce with our hands in our laps … our eyes are on me,’ and then it’s forming a classroom community. How do you create a strong classroom community and a bond with your kids over a computer?\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56480\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora-e1597215241824.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Geri Zamora\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th grade U.S. history\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">George Washington High School in Chicago\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 150\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Yes\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One semester\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> $54,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Excited, determined, eager\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Resilient, relieved, excited\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything was falling into place last summer for Geri Zamora, a first-generation college student who was born in Costa Rica and raised in Chicago. They had just landed a job teaching U.S. history at Chicago Public Schools and started their teaching career, a dream of Zamora’s since childhood. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then came the Chicago teacher strike. At the time, Zamora thought the strike would be the biggest event of their first year as a teacher. But it proved to be the first of many major challenges—and losses—that they would weather. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“During the strike, the main concern was financial. [It was] my first year out of college, I had a whole bunch of loans, I had just gotten an apartment in Chicago with my best friend, and I didn't know when I'd go back to work. My mom was in no position to help me financially—I make more than she does. She's a single mom and all of my other family is in Costa Rica.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After the strike, unfortunately, at my school, we had some other tragedies due to gang violence and gun violence. And then there was a really terrible [car] accident where we lost two seniors. So we had a very heavy year already as a school. And then the shift to remote learning happened. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So first semester … woof. But the second semester—that adjustment from not only figuring out what kind of teacher I wanted to be, but [also] how to translate that to a computer—was really difficult.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56481\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56481\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Geri-Zamora-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Geri Zamora's classroom at George Washington High School, part of Chicago Public Schools. Right: Zamora’s desk setup for remote learning. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geri Zamora)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burnout from remote learning was very real. I'm not sure what about my experience made it so bearable. I had a lot of community support. I have really lovely people in my life that were willing to hear me out, to listen to all my frustrations when I needed support. But some of my coworkers who are veteran teachers were having an incredibly difficult time through this. It just felt like I was seeing all these lovely plants wilt, and it killed me because, you know, I'm just a sapling. I want to grow up to be like them. And if I'm seeing them wilt, I mean, it's discouraging. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we got to a point [with remote learning] where we were like, well, we're doing our best. And if students come, perfect. But it's a pandemic on their end, too. A lot of my kids were going through battles. These kids carry more on their shoulders than the average adult. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of my students caught COVID … and was on a ventilator—no health issues prior to this—and she almost died. She's fine now, but things like that were going on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One thing we did to cope was on Friday nights we’d have movie nights, and we’d just watch something together [as a class]. Little virtual things, where I was connecting with my kids, made it at least a little bit more doable. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite all of the changes and turbulence, I really felt like I was where I belonged. It’s now 100 percent ingrained that this was the job I was meant to do. If I could handle this, I can handle anything. And I think that goes for anyone else who is still really into this profession at the end of this. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year in general was a big self-discovery year for me, not only as a teacher. My gender identity has always been something I kind of questioned. I identify as non-binary. I've told my coworkers. But I wasn't out to students. I wasn't out at school. I was really reflecting, especially during the pandemic, on how I want to present myself in the classroom and what my kids need. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of the year, I was just Ms. Zamora. But after this year, I'm like, I don't really care what people think. And I have a lot of students that maybe could benefit from knowing that they have a queer teacher. So fall 2020, I'll make my debut as Mx. Zamora.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56482\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier-e1597215332662.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Mikia D. Frazier\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fourth grade language arts and writing\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joseph Martin Elementary School in Hinesville, Ga.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 125\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Excited, prepared, thankful\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grateful, impactful, hopeful\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia Frazier comes from a family of educators, the most influential of whom is her mother, a high school principal. After dreaming of becoming a teacher for nearly 20 years, Frazier secured a job at a school that serves many military families, due to the district’s proximity to the Fort Stewart Army base in eastern Georgia. While Frazier was teaching in the 2019-20 school year, she was also taking online courses to earn her master’s degree in elementary education, which she recently completed. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her district is one-to-one, and Frazier started using learning technologies with her students in the first semester, but that still didn’t prepare them—or her—for full-time remote learning in the spring. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My first year was definitely a whirlwind. But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I loved every minute of it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I absolutely loved my students. I loved going to work every day. … Then of course, in the middle of the school year, out of literally nowhere, there's a pandemic, and no one really knows what to do. One day it’s, ‘OK, well, we're going to take a week off from school and we'll be back next week.’ And then ‘next week’ turned into two weeks, and then two weeks turned into next month and next month turned into the next semester. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was kind of sad to see my first year of teaching cut short. But one thing I can say is that, as a first-year teacher, it taught me how to adapt. Education is always unpredictable, but we just kind of learned to roll with the punches that came with a pandemic. It was uncharted territory for everyone. No one really knew what to do. So I didn’t feel like the first-year teacher who was just clueless. Everybody was in the same boat at that point.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being that we’re very technology-heavy in our classrooms, it was a more seamless transition to remote learning, because our students had knowledge of what Google Classroom is, what Canvas is and how they can use it at home. The difference was that Ms. Frazier was talking to you through a screen as opposed to sitting in front of you or standing next to your desk. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we first went digital, I felt like I was trying to continue teaching as if I were still in the classroom. Next year, I want to focus more on having them engage with the content so that they're actually gathering their own thoughts and ideas. Of course, I’ll still teach, but I want to give them more opportunities through digital platforms for them to engage with whatever concepts we're learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56483\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56483\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Mikia-Frazier-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Mikia Frazier’s fourth grade classroom in Hinesville, Ga., Right: Frazier’s remote learning setup. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mikia D. Frazier)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My students surprised me so much. They just kind of jumped right in and they were able to adapt to it. So that was something that brought me a little bit of peace, knowing that, ‘OK, well, it's not all terrible. My kids are still working. They're still learning.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The most difficult part of remote learning was not seeing my students. I’m really big on interaction, and seeing them every day really just changes the trajectory of any type of day I’m having. I’m a hugging kind of teacher. Anytime they see me, they want to hug and want to talk for hours. And just not being able to see my students in person, that was really difficult for me personally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I definitely learned that my passion for teaching stems from seeing my students thrive. I always knew that teaching was my dream career; I always knew that it was what I was going to do. But after going through the strain of a first year such as this one, it really proved to me that this is where I am supposed to be. Because most people would experience this pandemic and they would say, ‘Never again, there's definitely a new career for me somewhere.’ But I feel like this gave me much more strength to know that, no matter what comes in the way of my students’ learning, there's a way to break down that barrier, because COVID definitely became a major barrier to my students.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56484\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer-e1597215443440.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Lauren Bayersdorfer\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 24\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Algebra I and AP Calculus\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Weehawken High School in Weehawken, N.J.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: About 100\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One full-time student teaching placement; three once-a-week school placements\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: $65,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Nervous, excited, optimistic\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Relieved, defeated, inspired\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By the first day of school, Lauren Bayersdorfer was already wondering if she’d gotten in over her head. She had been a math major in college and was excited to teach the subject, but the then-23-year-old didn’t expect to be teaching AP Calculus to seniors. Nor did she expect to become the high school cheerleading coach, having never cheered a day in her life. In both cases, she had a lot to learn to be able to support her students in the ways they needed. Those commitments made for long days in the first semester. She describes grading papers while eating dinner and agonizing over lesson plans in the shower. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her district had been one-to-one with Chromebooks for several years when the pandemic hit, and she says teachers were given a lot of autonomy around how to conduct remote learning with their students. As a district located just across the Hudson River from New York City, many of Weehawken’s students and staff were affected personally by the pandemic. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[In the first semester, I wondered], ‘Are the kids going to be able to tell that I have no clue what I'm doing?’ That was my fear: ‘Can they tell how anxious I am, and how intimidated I am?’ With COVID, it was more like, ‘How can I make sure I'm doing my job well, given the circumstances?’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I really struggled to get all of my students into a Google Meet with me. Even if I held it the same time and day every week, I would still only have five to 10 students come—if that. There's not really a way to force kids to come, which is the problem. You can say you'll count it as a grade. They don't care. You can say, ‘We'll play hangman.’ They don't care. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So they don't care to come, and that's fine. [But] I wish I could have all 18 of my kids on camera so we could do a little activity—not even a math activity, just a bonding activity. I wish we were able to do that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There came a point where I just didn't stress it, because it's a tough time for everyone. As long as they were doing the work, that's what I cared about. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56485\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56485\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Lauren-Bayersdorfer-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lauren Bayersdorfer with students from her cheerleading squad before the pandemic. Right: Bayersdorfer’s remote teaching setup. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lauren Bayersdorfer)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I definitely lost the connection with students. One of the reasons I enjoy my job is being able to see students. A teacher’s favorite sound is, “Ohhhhhh!” Like, when they finally get something? But you don't get to see those moments [online]. You don't get to see them struggling with a problem. You don't get to see them interacting with their peers. Those little memories that I have from the year—those are all pre-March. You don't really have those with virtual teaching, so I definitely missed that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our school got very lenient toward the end of the year because you can't expect kids to learn quadratics when they’re on their own, [especially] given the whole situation of COVID-19 and how especially impacted we were here [in New Jersey]. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My biggest question is did they actually learn? With math, it's just so easy to cheat—because of all the apps, because of their peers, because they're so connected all the time. It was just an ongoing question I had in my mind: Are they actually learning? And to what extent did they learn? That was a big question mark that me and my entire department had because it's just so easy to get the answers elsewhere.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56486\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-e1597215544219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Kristen Stein\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">26\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Fourth grade reading, writing, language arts and spelling\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> L W Westfall Elementary in Choctaw, Okla.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: 40-45\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One semester\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> $36,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Hopeful, but also anxious and inadequate\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Accomplished, confident, thankful\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kristen Stein started college pursuing a career in cybersecurity, but soon switched her major to education, realizing that teaching is where she was “most naturally gifted.” After years of babysitting and working with children at her church, it felt like the right move. But the decision did not come without doubts. Stein’s student teaching experience was difficult, and led her to question whether she was cut out for this work and could continue doing it long-term. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given the challenges that arose during her first year teaching—at a district a few miles from where she grew up, just outside of Oklahoma City—some of those same concerns and insecurities presented themselves again. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was really a struggle to drive to work every day and convince myself I have what it takes to do this job. [But] it was really exciting at the end of the day to drive home and say, ‘That was worth doing.’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first semester, I remember feeling a lot of stress and anxiety. There's so much more to teaching than writing lesson plans, standing up in front of kids and delivering those lessons. There's paperwork and emails and meetings and committees and entering grades. So I felt really blindsided by just the sheer amount of hours that it takes to really do this job well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I felt like, ‘Soon, they're going to realize I'm a sham and I'm not going to get asked back to teach here.’ And that's so scary. I felt a lot of that pressure and a little bit of imposter syndrome, even though everyone was so welcoming and encouraging. But I put down a lot of those burdens the second semester. I worked less hours. I tried to have a better balance of work and life. And from January to spring break, I laughed with my kids a lot more, and I noticed the fun things that were happening in their friendships. Releasing some of the pressure to perform perfectly helped me to enjoy all the little things that I was missing in that first semester. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56487\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56487\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"648\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein.png 1600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-800x324.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-1020x413.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-160x65.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-768x311.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Kristen-Stein-1536x622.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Kristen Stein's classroom in Choctaw, Okla. Right: Her remote learning setup from the spring, using a bookshelf as a desk. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kristen Stein)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then in the fourth quarter, everything was turned upside down. But when I think back on it, I enjoyed [remote learning] more than I expected. I found that it was such a great comfort that no one else knew what they were doing either. All of a sudden, I wasn't the only one that was out of my depths and confused and trying to keep up. And I felt more of a sense of, ‘We're all trying to figure this out together,’ rather than they all know what they're doing and I am the one that has no idea. So I felt more of a sense of belonging and community when everything was up in the air for \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">everyone\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, not just me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My first year … helped me to see that that's the nature of life. There are things that we're going through that are hard, and there are things that we're going through that give us a lot of joy, and those are happening at the same time. I had to choose, a lot of the time, which thing I was gonna focus on—and sometimes the struggle needed more of my attention. But at a certain point, I [could] choose to enjoy a relationship with one student that's going really well, even though I might be struggling in my relationship with another. My first year teaching taught me so much more about balance in life than any previous life stage.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56488\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj-e1597215622355.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Ranjini Nagaraj\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">22\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ninth grade science and 10th grade chemistry\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, Texas via Teach for America\u003cbr>\n\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 150\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$54,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Inspired, excited, nervous\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Relieved, frustrated, reflective \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ranjini Nagaraj, a California native, is a Teach for America corps member serving in Texas while she applies to medical school. She teaches high school science and chemistry at a Title I school in Fort Worth with a student population that is about 70 percent Hispanic, including many English language learners. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Nagaraj came back from spring break in March, her school was scrambling to adjust to the new realities brought on by COVID-19. To complicate things further, the school had just suffered a malware attack—everything from copy machines to computers had stopped working, which caused delays in online learning among students and staff. In Nagaraj’s telling, the incident cost her class about three weeks of instructional time. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The first day of school, I was very nervous. I really had no idea what I was walking into. Being just out of college, living on my own basically for the first time, doing all of the adult things, along with being responsible for over 120 kids was very overwhelming. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The transition—like August, September and, honestly, most of October—was very difficult because I didn't have my lessons prepared more than two days in advance ... and being in the kind of school I was in, where there was so much emotional trauma and emotional baggage, was also a challenge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The best part of it, though, was getting to know my kids, having authentic conversations with them and really building those relationships, which helped me so much when I started in January again after the break. It was light years better than the first semester, which is why I was very frustrated when coronavirus hit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the beginning of March, I felt like I was finding my footing in terms of my relationships with the kids, figuring out the best ways to deliver a lesson, the best kinds of support I could give them. And that all changed when online learning started. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56489\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ranjini-Nagaraj-160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ranjini Nagaraj's classroom in Fort Worth, Texas before her school closed. Right: Nagaraj’s remote learning set-up at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ranjini Nagaraj)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We never went back after spring break. … I worried about all my kids all the time, honestly. Because they were in such unique circumstances. A lot of my kids had to look after their younger siblings because [their] parents were considered essential workers. And a lot of them—if they weren't in physical school—were expected to also contribute to their family's income by getting a job, like at a grocery store or in construction. So I worried a lot about their basic needs being met—if my kids had enough to eat, if my kids were doing OK mentally and emotionally. And especially for the kids that I was not able to get in contact with, that was really hard. Because of course my mind is going to worst-case scenarios.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I ended up adjusting my expectations a lot. Instead of being, like, ‘You didn't meet your growth goal of 10 percent over the unit. We're going to have a conversation,’ it was more like, ‘Was I able to have a good conversation with one kid today? Was I able to make one kid smile? Was I able to make one kid's day a little bit better?’ I realized that is what success should be for me in this situation. They're going to forget the chemistry that they learned, but I think it's harder to forget the impact that someone was able to make on them. Switching gears and focusing more on the social-emotional aspects of school was really beneficial for me in terms of the expectations that I had for myself and the expectations I had for my kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy--e1597215767772.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\">Ashley Levy\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">:\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">23\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Sixth grade\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newtown Elementary School in Newtown, Pa.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> About 75\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Four (family members)\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">N/A\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Student teaching experience\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Two semesters\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">:\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nervous, enthusiastic, passionate\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Inspired, dedicated, motivated\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For her first year in the classroom, Ashley Levy taught sixth grade at the elementary school she attended herself in Newtown, Penn. Many of the same staff—the librarian, the music teacher and others—were still at the school, and she enjoyed reintroducing herself to them as “Miss Levy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of Levy’s colleagues guided her through the first semester, answering the many questions that she had, showing her the ropes and supporting her through a big transition. During the second semester, Levy says, the tables were turned: As the youngest person on staff and one of the most technologically savvy, she got to “return the favor” by assisting other teachers as they adjusted to virtual learning. But even though she had the technology part down, Levy realized that other components of teaching—such as motivating students and maintaining relationships—were difficult to control from a distance. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I fully expected this first year to be very similar to student teaching. While I was student teaching, I was like, ‘Oh, this is what teaching is. This is what working in a school is like. This is great. I love it.’ I still had time to go hang out with friends and do whatever I wanted after school. And it's not that I did not have that this year, but when you walk in and you are the head teacher, you are responsible for so many things behind the scenes that you don't see during student teaching—that you don't see until you are put in the position yourself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So whether it was grading, benchmark testing, team meetings or planning ahead, it was very different than what I expected, solely because of the amount of work and the amount of dedication that it takes. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I don't want to be in any other profession. But it was a big surprise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the classroom, you have this routine that you get into. You get used to seeing the kids every morning, and you can feel out their moods. You can feel out how the rest of the day might go, simply based on when they walk in the room and the conversations you have. You can set the tone. You can create an environment where the kids want to be there and are excited to learn. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56476\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy-.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Ashley-Levy--160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Ashley Levy's sixth grade classroom in Newtown, Pa., before her school closed due to COVID-19. Right: Levy’s remote learning set-up at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ashley Levy\u003c/span>\u003cb>)\u003c/b>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then, when you go virtual, you're totally separated from their personal lives. In school, they could come in and leave anything that was happening at home, at home. When you’re virtual, whatever's happening at home is brought to school because that \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> their school. That is where they're completing all of that work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I think the motivation factor was one of the most difficult parts of the second semester, because when you're in person, your attitude, your tone of voice, the things that you plan and the incentives or goals that you set for the class can motivate the students.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part of me is happy that I got to be part of this crazy year, that I got to experience both virtual learning and in-person learning. Because while I hope that this is not something that we ever do have to experience again, it is always a possibility. So having had the opportunity to be a professional for the entire year and experience everything that came with it—both good and bad—was great. And it helped me gain more confidence for the fall.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-56473\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton--e1597215836226.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"266\">Steve Middleton\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Age: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">42\u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Taught:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Seventh grade digital communications\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>School: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ed White DATA Middle School Magnet Program in San Antonio, Texas\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Students served: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About 135\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Roommates:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> None — I live with my wife and two kids (ages 5 and 6)\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Technology classes in my teacher prep program: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Prior experience with group video calls: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No\u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003cb>Student teaching experience: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Salary: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">$56,000\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Started the year feeling\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Excited, cautious, proud\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Ended the year feeling:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Success, relief, sagacious\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About two years ago, after Steve Middleton was let go from his engineering job, he began to wonder if he was in the right field after all. He says he was a good engineer for over 10 years, but something was always missing. Plus, his two young children were growing up fast, and he wanted to be around for that. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This thinking led Middleton to make the leap into education last year. He got a job teaching digital communications to middle schoolers at a design and technology academy (DATA) in San Antonio.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I'm really good at thinking on my feet. As an engineer, I had a job once where I did a lot of computer-aided design, and I had a boss who wanted me to make changes to this big machine that we were designing. That was awful. He'd stand behind me and say, ‘OK, stretch this thing, make this bigger and then change this dimension.’ I had to do it in real time. Nobody does that, but I got really good at it. So that really helped me, when the second semester popped up, [since] no one had any warning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was concerned about my family. My kids are 5 and 6, and I had to help them with their distance learning and balance it out with my own work schedule. My kids are my world, and they needed my time. I couldn't stick them in front of a movie all day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being right next to them, like one wall away from them ... that was hard. But I knew what I was doing was important. It was very unfair for [my students] and their parents, what happened—that suddenly they're at home, and suddenly their parents are at home and they have to become their teacher now. From my point of view, doing that with my own kids—maybe I'm the greatest teacher in the world, but it doesn't matter. At home, I'm Dad. I'm not a teacher,. And so there is some confusion about dynamics and roles.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56474\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56474\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton-.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Steve-Middleton--160x65.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Steve Middleton's seventh grade classroom in San Antonio, Texas. Right: Middleton's remote teaching setup at home. (Courtesy of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Steve Middleton)\u003c/span>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It turns out that I got a lot more comfortable with ... the parts of myself that I've been kind of putting down, like being a little nerdy—I’m wearing a Stark Industries T-shirt—and being OK with that, and becoming a better, more patient dad from all this. I imagined my [own] kids in five years, thinking, ‘OK, if that was my kid in this classroom, how could I give them the best experience?’\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I started the school year thinking teaching is about making students feel important and teaching them to be great people. I put that up on my board and I told the kids, ‘This is our class goal: I don't want you to be great students. No, I don't. I want you to be great people first, and then you will be great at anything that you do.’ That was really the goal. And I left with that being a lot more solidified in my mind, as a philosophy. It’s not about force-feeding students information. It’s about teaching them to navigate their lives, in any situation, and have confidence. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 10 years, how will I see this time? Is it significant to me in my life? Absolutely it is. I have to look at this as two different experiences in the same year, because everything did change and it was the most unique experience teaching, I think, that anybody could have ever had.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv role=\"document\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"Item.MessagePartBody\" class=\"_rp_T4\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"Item.MessageUniqueBody\" class=\"_rp_U4 ms-font-weight-regular ms-font-color-neutralDark rpHighlightAllClass rpHighlightBodyClass\">\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\">\n\u003cdiv>\u003ci>This story \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-11-if-i-could-handle-this-i-can-handle-anything-first-year-teachers-reflect-on-the-pandemic\">\u003ci>originally published\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> in EdSurge, a media outlet that covers the future of learning through news and research. Sign up for its weekly newsletters \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://accounts.edsurge.com/subscribers/new\">\u003ci>here\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"_pe_d _pe_62\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003ch4>Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985\">via Apple Podcasts \u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share/\">via Stitcher\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbWluZHNoaWZ0L2NhdGVnb3J5L21pbmRzaGlmdHBvZGNhc3QvZmVlZC8/episode/ODA5YmZmOTgtZGI2MC0xMWVhLWI3N2UtNmYzODM1MTM3YWI4?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiftIO69JLrAhVFsp4KHcblAloQieUEegQIChAE&ep=6\">via Google\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx\"> via Spotify\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Kids--Family-Podcasts/Mindshift-Podcast-p1139823/?topicId=155253294\">via TuneIn\u003c/a>\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When schools began to close because of COVID-19 in March, teachers and students had to rapidly adjust to learning online. For many students, finding a quiet place at home to learn with reliable technology was difficult, especially when family members were dealing with the pandemic. And teachers tried to figure out what was appropriate for the new online reality when it came to synchronous learning, attendance and grades, among many other issues.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coronavirus also created an opportunity for teachers to be creative in order to meet students’ needs. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://culturallyresponsiveleadership.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joe Truss\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, saw the inequities created by coronavirus and called upon teachers via social media to create resources for teaching during the pandemic in a way that was relevant to what students were experiencing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We actually wanted to shift even the verbiage from ‘distance learning’ to ‘connecting through crisis’ because primarily we wanted our students to experience connection,” said Truss. “Because right now we’re fractured as a society and our kids are at home. They’re not with their friends and not with their teachers and their normal routine.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Truss started a Google doc called “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpwwrZVS8f5OWYiI14IR5QuenF_LC8zskX8UlPLLYH4/edit#\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connecting Across the Distance” #Covid19pbl\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with contributions from about 150 educators around the country. In May, educators and students hosted a \u003ca href=\"https://padlet.com/covid19pbl20/gallery\">virtual exhibition\u003c/a> of their work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/trussleadership/status/1250800577052676098\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teachers submitted resources and lesson plans relevant to the times and students’ experiences. There were resources on understanding the virus and how to interpret pandemic data. Coronavirus brought renewed attention to systemic racism because of the way Black, Indigenous and Latino people died from the infection at disproportionate rates. The Black Lives Matter protests that emerged from the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis also amplified the need for systemic change. Mental health was a top priority as students were seeing trauma unfold around them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Pivoting to Student Pandemic Journal \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before the coronavirus outbreak, keeping a journal wasn’t exactly part of the curriculum for English teacher \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/avoulgarides?lang=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anthony Voulgarides\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. He submitted a pandemic journal lesson plan to “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpwwrZVS8f5OWYiI14IR5QuenF_LC8zskX8UlPLLYH4/edit#\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connecting Across the Distance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” and it proved to be an essential way to help his students stay connected to one another and to him during the crisis. Every week, students published journal entries to a document called “\u003ca href=\"https://padlet.com/a_voulgarides/exemplars\">Unprecedented Times\u003c/a>.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56462 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Voulgarides1-e1597137171556.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"290\">“As a teacher, I feel like it’s my job to try to understand what’s most relevant for our students right now, in this moment, and try to tap into that,” said Voulgarides, who teaches at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wheelsnyc.net/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in New York City. At the time, the city was a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/once-the-nations-epicenter-ny-virus-death-toll-drops-to-5/2489489/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hotspot\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for coronavirus infections and his students’ families were not spared. Some had to quarantine at home with an infected family member, others had a parent on a ventilator for a month. Senior Diane Arevalo’s uncle died after contracting the virus. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56458 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Diane-1-scaled-e1597137239341.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\">“My family, we call him ‘The Newspaper’ because, you know, he knew everybody and everyone knew about him,” she said of her uncle. “And he’d go through the whole neighborhood in the morning. He’ll wake up at six o’clock in the morning, go to his mom’s house, give her food, and then he would go back home and take care of his kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Safety measures meant family members were physically cut off from patients in hospitals and loved ones at funerals. Arevalo, who didn’t get to say goodbye to her uncle or send him a final message, decided to write him a letter as part of her journal assignment. Last spring, she wrote:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">When I told you I got into Brandeis, the first thing you did was come over and bring me a cake. That was the last time I got to see you, Tío. I want to say it’s unfair that you were taken already, but I know you were in pain and now you are better alongside Tía now. Your kids were raised as if they were my siblings. I gained two older brothers and an amazing big sister through you. All I want is that, with your loss, it can bring us all even closer. Thank you for the love, laughter, and support you have given all of us every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The journal entries took many forms. Some students submitted drawings. Some shared what they were watching on Netflix. Someone wrote an essay on shelter-in-place from the perspective of a house cat. Others got really vulnerable and shared details they normally keep to themselves.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56465 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Yohely-1-e1597137331377.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"322\">“Even if I FaceTime my friends for hours, you know, we’re not just sitting talking about our feelings for hours,” said senior Yohely \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “And so I read their journal for English class and I learned more than I learned in the FaceTime call.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés’s\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> journal entry was about how she had to stay distant from her family members inside their home. In March, she wrote:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Today, my mom didn’t wake up feeling so good. I haven’t touched her warm skin since Friday and I haven’t been able to cuddle her in the mornings either. In order to see her I have to FaceTime her or open the bedroom door just enough so I can peek. I got yelled at by my aunt for opening the door without a mask. I just wanted her to see that I was awake. We’re now waiting for the test results and it’s haunting me thinking about it. Tía tested positive last week. I hope mom doesn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moments after publishing to the class journal website, Yohely received a text message from a worried Mr. Voulgarides. He was checking in on her after reading her journal entry. He offered to bring groceries to her home and let her know she can reach out to him if she needed anything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56461 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Julio2-e1597137432776.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"336\">Senior Julio Jimenez’s father caught coronavirus and spent a month in the intensive care unit. The family could only see him through a phone connection. Suddenly, Jimenez was thrust into the position of medical translator for his family while being strong for his mother and siblings. As the eldest son, he was now preparing to be the head of the household and thinking differently about his future. Everyday high school activities and starting college felt more distant when his family needed him most. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That took a big toll out of me, like, every day,” he said. Before the pandemic, Julio said writing wasn’t exactly his favorite thing to do at school, but the journal turned out to be a way for him to organize his emotions, calm himself down and focus on building emotional strength for his family.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It has helped me out of writing it down,” he said. “Getting my emotions on paper – that helped me out. You know, it built some stamina in me to get on with my day.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Typically, writing a journal entry is a private activity. But publishing to a class website for trusted classmates and teachers who have spent years relationship-building helped create an opening for help. It also strengthened the community. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The fact that those kids were comfortable sharing those journals with one another says a lot about what the teacher did beforehand,” said Tia Madkins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Culturally Relevant Teaching and Trust\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teachers at WHEELS spend a lot of time on activities that are outside the more traditional curricula and it’s proven to be a success. WHEELS is part of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eleducation.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">EL Education\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> network and an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wheelsnyc.net/expeditionary-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Outward Bound School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Core to the school is creating authentic learning experiences for students, some of which is grounded in the three tenets of culturally relevant teaching: academic success, cultural competence and critical consciousness. The three pillars of CRT were developed by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/74-interview-researcher-gloria-ladson-billings-on-culturally-relevant-teaching-the-role-of-teachers-in-trumps-america-lessons-from-her-two-decades-in-education-research/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gloria Ladson-Billings\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> after observing teachers who taught African-American students successfully. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Every classroom has culture,” said professor \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/fm2140/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Felicia Moore Mensah\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of Teachers College Columbia University who researches CRT in science education. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What teachers have to realize is that [culture is] there and it’s present, but how do you make it much more part of the process of learning when you have a classroom that is full of African-American, Latinx children or children with racial, ethnic, linguistic diversity within the classroom?” CRT can help address some of the inequities created by schooling that centers a white, middle-class worldview, which is important to address when more than half of students in public schools are kids of color.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It does take an extra effort for a lot of white teachers to be able to do this, to be able to focus in on who the students are, bringing them in and asking about aspects of their life as part of the curriculum because our curriculum is not written this particular way.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For WHEELS students like Diane Arevalo, cultural competence can look like talking about the differences between Ecuadorian and Dominican cultures, while knowing how to write a professional email to teachers. It also means having the critical consciousness to advocate for the change she wants to see in her community. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to my brother, to my family, to the people that live here that we’re stuck in the middle of a highway next to the George Washington Bridge, that we’re stuck with all this pollution,” said Arevalo of her neighborhood.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diane and her classmates formed a group to address local environmental issues. The group looked specifically at the health of trees in their neighborhood. The students noticed that in other neighborhoods, trees looked nicer and were protected at the roots by tree guards. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56456\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s kind of sad because our tree guards are destroyed,” said Arevalo. “We don’t even have them. And they’re very full of cigarette butts, needles and needle caps. And it’s kind of sad seeing that because we have to go through that every day to go to school.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The students attended community board meetings to advocate for a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://shareabouts-pbnyc-2018.herokuapp.com/place/598641/response/599327\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clean Air/Green Corridor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They also applied for grants from local organizations, which is not \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.safepassageproject.org/wheels-hight-school-wins-grant-for-safe-passage-project/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uncommon\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for WHEELS students who are passionate about causes relevant to their lives. They succeeded and recently \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb12/downloads/pdf/h_and_e_committee_minutes_5-2-19.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">received funding\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for new tree guards in their neighborhoods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school also goes to great lengths to value students’ cultural identity. When Yohely \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was a sophomore, she and a half-dozen students traveled to Peru for a week to learn more about critical theory and Afro-Peruvian culture. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“And through that, you know, I was able to find that Afro-Latinx culture that I knew I had in me,” said \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, who is Afro-Dominican. “There are programs [at school] that have helped me, with lessons that have helped me, in terms of my identity,” she said. “Even though my teachers are mostly white, they’re very there. I feel like they’ve become an ally to our community and they do the work that they do in our school because they care.”\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is also aware of the cultural competence she’ll need when she attends college at Wesleyan in the fall. She’s been at WHEELS since middle school so starting college in a new community will be a challenge. She feels like the teachers have prepared her for this transition, and one way they do that is letting students know they are there for them even after graduation. “They’re always offering their help,” she said. In reference to another teacher, David Lenzner, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said, “he’s always like, ‘you know, when when you leave, we’re going to be here and we’re going to be here to support you no matter what.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Support will be essential to students who graduated high school during extraordinary times and will start college amidst great uncertainty.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> WHEELS students have the support network they built at school and some have one more new tool: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I actually think about getting an actual journal because this has been helping me,” said \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ch4>Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985\">via Apple Podcasts \u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share/\">via Stitcher\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbWluZHNoaWZ0L2NhdGVnb3J5L21pbmRzaGlmdHBvZGNhc3QvZmVlZC8/episode/ODA5YmZmOTgtZGI2MC0xMWVhLWI3N2UtNmYzODM1MTM3YWI4?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiftIO69JLrAhVFsp4KHcblAloQieUEegQIChAE&ep=6\">via Google\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx\"> via Spotify\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Kids--Family-Podcasts/Mindshift-Podcast-p1139823/?topicId=155253294\">via TuneIn\u003c/a>\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When schools began to close because of COVID-19 in March, teachers and students had to rapidly adjust to learning online. For many students, finding a quiet place at home to learn with reliable technology was difficult, especially when family members were dealing with the pandemic. And teachers tried to figure out what was appropriate for the new online reality when it came to synchronous learning, attendance and grades, among many other issues.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coronavirus also created an opportunity for teachers to be creative in order to meet students’ needs. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://culturallyresponsiveleadership.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joe Truss\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, saw the inequities created by coronavirus and called upon teachers via social media to create resources for teaching during the pandemic in a way that was relevant to what students were experiencing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We actually wanted to shift even the verbiage from ‘distance learning’ to ‘connecting through crisis’ because primarily we wanted our students to experience connection,” said Truss. “Because right now we’re fractured as a society and our kids are at home. They’re not with their friends and not with their teachers and their normal routine.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Truss started a Google doc called “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpwwrZVS8f5OWYiI14IR5QuenF_LC8zskX8UlPLLYH4/edit#\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connecting Across the Distance” #Covid19pbl\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with contributions from about 150 educators around the country. In May, educators and students hosted a \u003ca href=\"https://padlet.com/covid19pbl20/gallery\">virtual exhibition\u003c/a> of their work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teachers submitted resources and lesson plans relevant to the times and students’ experiences. There were resources on understanding the virus and how to interpret pandemic data. Coronavirus brought renewed attention to systemic racism because of the way Black, Indigenous and Latino people died from the infection at disproportionate rates. The Black Lives Matter protests that emerged from the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis also amplified the need for systemic change. Mental health was a top priority as students were seeing trauma unfold around them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Pivoting to Student Pandemic Journal \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before the coronavirus outbreak, keeping a journal wasn’t exactly part of the curriculum for English teacher \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/avoulgarides?lang=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anthony Voulgarides\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. He submitted a pandemic journal lesson plan to “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpwwrZVS8f5OWYiI14IR5QuenF_LC8zskX8UlPLLYH4/edit#\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connecting Across the Distance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” and it proved to be an essential way to help his students stay connected to one another and to him during the crisis. Every week, students published journal entries to a document called “\u003ca href=\"https://padlet.com/a_voulgarides/exemplars\">Unprecedented Times\u003c/a>.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56462 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Voulgarides1-e1597137171556.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"290\">“As a teacher, I feel like it’s my job to try to understand what’s most relevant for our students right now, in this moment, and try to tap into that,” said Voulgarides, who teaches at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wheelsnyc.net/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in New York City. At the time, the city was a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/once-the-nations-epicenter-ny-virus-death-toll-drops-to-5/2489489/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hotspot\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for coronavirus infections and his students’ families were not spared. Some had to quarantine at home with an infected family member, others had a parent on a ventilator for a month. Senior Diane Arevalo’s uncle died after contracting the virus. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56458 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Diane-1-scaled-e1597137239341.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\">“My family, we call him ‘The Newspaper’ because, you know, he knew everybody and everyone knew about him,” she said of her uncle. “And he’d go through the whole neighborhood in the morning. He’ll wake up at six o’clock in the morning, go to his mom’s house, give her food, and then he would go back home and take care of his kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Safety measures meant family members were physically cut off from patients in hospitals and loved ones at funerals. Arevalo, who didn’t get to say goodbye to her uncle or send him a final message, decided to write him a letter as part of her journal assignment. Last spring, she wrote:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">When I told you I got into Brandeis, the first thing you did was come over and bring me a cake. That was the last time I got to see you, Tío. I want to say it’s unfair that you were taken already, but I know you were in pain and now you are better alongside Tía now. Your kids were raised as if they were my siblings. I gained two older brothers and an amazing big sister through you. All I want is that, with your loss, it can bring us all even closer. Thank you for the love, laughter, and support you have given all of us every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The journal entries took many forms. Some students submitted drawings. Some shared what they were watching on Netflix. Someone wrote an essay on shelter-in-place from the perspective of a house cat. Others got really vulnerable and shared details they normally keep to themselves.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56465 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Yohely-1-e1597137331377.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"322\">“Even if I FaceTime my friends for hours, you know, we’re not just sitting talking about our feelings for hours,” said senior Yohely \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “And so I read their journal for English class and I learned more than I learned in the FaceTime call.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés’s\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> journal entry was about how she had to stay distant from her family members inside their home. In March, she wrote:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Today, my mom didn’t wake up feeling so good. I haven’t touched her warm skin since Friday and I haven’t been able to cuddle her in the mornings either. In order to see her I have to FaceTime her or open the bedroom door just enough so I can peek. I got yelled at by my aunt for opening the door without a mask. I just wanted her to see that I was awake. We’re now waiting for the test results and it’s haunting me thinking about it. Tía tested positive last week. I hope mom doesn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moments after publishing to the class journal website, Yohely received a text message from a worried Mr. Voulgarides. He was checking in on her after reading her journal entry. He offered to bring groceries to her home and let her know she can reach out to him if she needed anything.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56461 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Julio2-e1597137432776.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"336\">Senior Julio Jimenez’s father caught coronavirus and spent a month in the intensive care unit. The family could only see him through a phone connection. Suddenly, Jimenez was thrust into the position of medical translator for his family while being strong for his mother and siblings. As the eldest son, he was now preparing to be the head of the household and thinking differently about his future. Everyday high school activities and starting college felt more distant when his family needed him most. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That took a big toll out of me, like, every day,” he said. Before the pandemic, Julio said writing wasn’t exactly his favorite thing to do at school, but the journal turned out to be a way for him to organize his emotions, calm himself down and focus on building emotional strength for his family.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It has helped me out of writing it down,” he said. “Getting my emotions on paper – that helped me out. You know, it built some stamina in me to get on with my day.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Typically, writing a journal entry is a private activity. But publishing to a class website for trusted classmates and teachers who have spent years relationship-building helped create an opening for help. It also strengthened the community. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The fact that those kids were comfortable sharing those journals with one another says a lot about what the teacher did beforehand,” said Tia Madkins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Culturally Relevant Teaching and Trust\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teachers at WHEELS spend a lot of time on activities that are outside the more traditional curricula and it’s proven to be a success. WHEELS is part of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eleducation.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">EL Education\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> network and an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wheelsnyc.net/expeditionary-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Outward Bound School\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Core to the school is creating authentic learning experiences for students, some of which is grounded in the three tenets of culturally relevant teaching: academic success, cultural competence and critical consciousness. The three pillars of CRT were developed by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/74-interview-researcher-gloria-ladson-billings-on-culturally-relevant-teaching-the-role-of-teachers-in-trumps-america-lessons-from-her-two-decades-in-education-research/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gloria Ladson-Billings\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> after observing teachers who taught African-American students successfully. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Every classroom has culture,” said professor \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/fm2140/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Felicia Moore Mensah\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of Teachers College Columbia University who researches CRT in science education. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What teachers have to realize is that [culture is] there and it’s present, but how do you make it much more part of the process of learning when you have a classroom that is full of African-American, Latinx children or children with racial, ethnic, linguistic diversity within the classroom?” CRT can help address some of the inequities created by schooling that centers a white, middle-class worldview, which is important to address when more than half of students in public schools are kids of color.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It does take an extra effort for a lot of white teachers to be able to do this, to be able to focus in on who the students are, bringing them in and asking about aspects of their life as part of the curriculum because our curriculum is not written this particular way.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For WHEELS students like Diane Arevalo, cultural competence can look like talking about the differences between Ecuadorian and Dominican cultures, while knowing how to write a professional email to teachers. It also means having the critical consciousness to advocate for the change she wants to see in her community. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to my brother, to my family, to the people that live here that we’re stuck in the middle of a highway next to the George Washington Bridge, that we’re stuck with all this pollution,” said Arevalo of her neighborhood.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diane and her classmates formed a group to address local environmental issues. The group looked specifically at the health of trees in their neighborhood. The students noticed that in other neighborhoods, trees looked nicer and were protected at the roots by tree guards. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56456\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Clean-Air-Green-Corridor-of-182nd-st-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s kind of sad because our tree guards are destroyed,” said Arevalo. “We don’t even have them. And they’re very full of cigarette butts, needles and needle caps. And it’s kind of sad seeing that because we have to go through that every day to go to school.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The students attended community board meetings to advocate for a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://shareabouts-pbnyc-2018.herokuapp.com/place/598641/response/599327\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clean Air/Green Corridor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They also applied for grants from local organizations, which is not \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.safepassageproject.org/wheels-hight-school-wins-grant-for-safe-passage-project/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">uncommon\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for WHEELS students who are passionate about causes relevant to their lives. They succeeded and recently \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb12/downloads/pdf/h_and_e_committee_minutes_5-2-19.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">received funding\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for new tree guards in their neighborhoods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school also goes to great lengths to value students’ cultural identity. When Yohely \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was a sophomore, she and a half-dozen students traveled to Peru for a week to learn more about critical theory and Afro-Peruvian culture. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“And through that, you know, I was able to find that Afro-Latinx culture that I knew I had in me,” said \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, who is Afro-Dominican. “There are programs [at school] that have helped me, with lessons that have helped me, in terms of my identity,” she said. “Even though my teachers are mostly white, they’re very there. I feel like they’ve become an ally to our community and they do the work that they do in our school because they care.”\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is also aware of the cultural competence she’ll need when she attends college at Wesleyan in the fall. She’s been at WHEELS since middle school so starting college in a new community will be a challenge. She feels like the teachers have prepared her for this transition, and one way they do that is letting students know they are there for them even after graduation. “They’re always offering their help,” she said. In reference to another teacher, David Lenzner, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comprés\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said, “he’s always like, ‘you know, when when you leave, we’re going to be here and we’re going to be here to support you no matter what.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Support will be essential to students who graduated high school during extraordinary times and will start college amidst great uncertainty.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> WHEELS students have the support network they built at school and some have one more new tool: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Most Teachers Concerned About In-Person School; 2 In 3 Want To Start The Year Online",
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"content": "\u003cp>As the school year starts in many districts across the country, a new national poll of teachers from NPR/Ipsos finds overwhelming trepidation about returning to the physical classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighty-two percent of K-12 teachers say they are concerned about returning to in-person teaching this fall, and two-thirds prefer to teach primarily remotely. On the latter point, teachers are aligned with parents and the general public: \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898522180/despite-mask-wars-americans-support-aggressive-measures-to-stop-covid-19-poll-fi\">Another recent NPR/Ipsos poll\u003c/a> found two-thirds of respondents thought schools in their area should be primarily remote, including 62% of parents of children under 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teacher poll was conducted July 21-24 and included 505 respondents. Half teach at low-income schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to going back to the classroom, 77% of teachers are worried about risking their own health. Robin Stauffer is one of them. She's taught high school English for four decades, most recently in Katy, Texas, a suburb west of Houston. She says working with kids has kept her young and lighthearted, and she has a strong sense of mission \"to be the type of teacher that I wish I would have had when I was in public school, to kind of right the wrongs that I experienced.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">Teacher Preferences For Remote Vs. In-Person\u003cspan class=\"widont\"> \u003c/span>Classes\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56443\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56443 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback.png 600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback-160x134.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points. Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But she's also 66 years old and has diabetes, both of which make her more vulnerable to the coronavirus. According to the U.S. Department of Education, almost \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020142.pdf\">30% \u003c/a>of teachers are 50 and older, putting them in a higher-risk category for the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I just don't trust the school district to safeguard my health during this pandemic,\" Stauffer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the poll, 78% of teachers said they are concerned specifically about accessing sufficient personal protective equipment and even cleaning materials for teaching in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stauffer says her district cut custodial staff several years ago, and after that it was often up to teachers to clean their own rooms. \"They don't supply hand sanitizer. They don't supply wipes. None of these supplies were ever given to us. You just use what you had or what teachers themselves purchased.\" She says she doubts her school will be able to keep up with the increased cleaning measures \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html\">recommended\u003c/a> by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Charlie McGeehan, a high school teacher in Philadelphia, has similar concerns. In an email to NPR, he said, \"Much of my hesitation comes from the persistent underfunding of my district, and its proven inability to provide for the safety of staff and students.\" McGeehan notes that several school buildings in the School District of Philadelphia \u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/two-more-philly-schools-to-close-for-asbestos-cleanup/\">closed for asbestos cleanup\u003c/a> in the last school year, and one teacher \u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/cancer-stricken-teacher-settles-with-philly-school-district-for-850k/#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Board%20of%20Education,she%20learned%20she%20had%20mesothelioma\">settled with the district\u003c/a> for $850,000 over her mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to the toxin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These issues have been ongoing, and repeatedly raised, for more than 30 years — and they still persist,\" McGeehan says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to their health concerns about coming back, teachers are also worried that coronavirus safety measures will interfere with teaching and learning. Seventy-three percent of teachers say they are concerned about connecting with students while wearing a mask. And 84% of teachers say they are likely to have difficulty enforcing social distancing among their students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56448\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 947px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56448\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"947\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5.png 947w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-800x351.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-160x70.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-768x337.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 947px) 100vw, 947px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points.\u003cbr>Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"I want to go back, and I don't want to go back,\" says Felicia Tinsley, who teaches elementary school students with special needs in Chester County, S.C. She expects to navigate a steep learning curve with her students. \"You have to teach kids how to wear masks properly and teach them '6 feet apart.' ... We're going to be doing, basically, instructions on how to operate in our new society.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinsley says it may be especially difficult for her to enforce mask wearing because the topic has been politicized in her area of the country. \"Some people, they have their own beliefs,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She plans to impress the seriousness of the issue on her students by letting them know she contracted the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McGeehan, in Philadelphia, has a different concern around mask enforcement: \"As a white teacher who works with predominantly Black students, I think a lot about the ways that I exert control in my classroom — and how that manifests white supremacy and racism. ... [I'm] considering going back to a school environment where I'm asked to constantly police how far away students are from each other, whether or not they are wearing masks, where they're allowed to go during the day, etc. If this is the type of classroom I'm going to have to facilitate, is in-person learning worth all the risks?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, teachers prefer the idea of teaching online to coming back in person. One bright spot in the poll is that, compared with the spring, 4 out of 5 teachers feel more prepared to teach online this fall. And 70% think their school district's online or distance-learning effort is headed in the right direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56447\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1012px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56447\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1012\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4.png 1012w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-800x300.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-160x60.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-768x288.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1012px) 100vw, 1012px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points. \"Don't know\" responses not shown.\u003cbr>Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"Every teacher in the nation basically was thrown into some crash course in March and April,\" says Danielle Simpson, who teaches fourth grade at Crescent Academy International, an Islamic private school in Canton, Mich. Going into the fall, she says, the bar is going to be raised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been taking some courses online and watching professional development webinars to give myself a boost. And there's probably a lot of other teachers doing that, too,\" she says. \"We're developing students' digital citizenship skills, which will support them after graduation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenny White, who teaches middle school English language arts in Fort Worth, Texas, has also been doing professional development to design more collaborative online classes. She says she's relieved the school year will be starting remote-only in her district, because she feels her classes will be more interactive and less stilted online than in a classroom, where she would have to enforce social distancing and children would be speaking through masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will be \"not so fun for them\" in person, she predicts: \"We won't be able to allow them to sit with their friends. There's not going to be chances really for collaboration, where they get to work in groups and have those real rich conversations that they need to have, especially in language arts.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet more than half of surveyed teachers, 55%, say they cannot properly do their job online. Eighty-four percent say online learning creates gaps in opportunities for students. And 83% are also concerned about connecting with students they've never met when online classes begin this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the respondents have their own children at home, and 57% of those parent-teachers agree with the statement, \"I cannot properly do my job from home while also taking care of my own child(ren).\" Meanwhile, fewer than half of teachers, 43%, feel comfortable sending their own children to school this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I do not believe there is any reasonable plan that could be made that would keep my son safe,\" says Eric Schavrda, who visits multiple campuses to teach the visually impaired in Austin, Texas. He says he doesn't see a way to do his job safely either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unless daily tests of all students and contact tracing support were to be available statewide, there is no way to ensure a safe return to school,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caught between anxieties about returning to school and about teaching remotely, U.S. teachers have been feeling a lot of uncertainty. In the third week of July, when in many places teachers would normally be working on lesson plans and dusting off classroom decorations, just 11% said their school district's plan for how to start the school year during the pandemic was finalized and clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simpson, in Michigan, says, \"There's certain things that still haven't been answered\" as of the first week of August. Her school is planning to open at the end of August with a hybrid schedule, with three rotating cohorts of students. \"With this new rotating schedule, it feels like I'm going to lose some of my prep time from before. So that's one of the things that I'm still waiting to hear about.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighty-three percent of instructors are also concerned the plans will change after the year starts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinsley, in South Carolina, is resigned to that — she says her district has already pushed back the start of the school year and gone from offering five days a week in person to a hybrid schedule. \"I'll just see what happens, because every day something changes,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the difficulties, 70% of respondents tell NPR/Ipsos that if they could pick a career all over again, they would still choose to be teachers. And just 16% say they would leave the profession if they were called back to the classroom. Stauffer, in Texas, made that hard decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says she was upset, sad and torn, but her health concerns won out. She decided to retire and had to say goodbye to her students over Zoom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Most+Teachers+Concerned+About+In-Person+School%3B+2+In+3+Want+To+Start+The+Year+Online&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As the school year starts in many districts across the country, a new national poll of teachers from NPR/Ipsos finds overwhelming trepidation about returning to the physical classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighty-two percent of K-12 teachers say they are concerned about returning to in-person teaching this fall, and two-thirds prefer to teach primarily remotely. On the latter point, teachers are aligned with parents and the general public: \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898522180/despite-mask-wars-americans-support-aggressive-measures-to-stop-covid-19-poll-fi\">Another recent NPR/Ipsos poll\u003c/a> found two-thirds of respondents thought schools in their area should be primarily remote, including 62% of parents of children under 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teacher poll was conducted July 21-24 and included 505 respondents. Half teach at low-income schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to going back to the classroom, 77% of teachers are worried about risking their own health. Robin Stauffer is one of them. She's taught high school English for four decades, most recently in Katy, Texas, a suburb west of Houston. She says working with kids has kept her young and lighthearted, and she has a strong sense of mission \"to be the type of teacher that I wish I would have had when I was in public school, to kind of right the wrongs that I experienced.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">Teacher Preferences For Remote Vs. In-Person\u003cspan class=\"widont\"> \u003c/span>Classes\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56443\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-56443 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback.png 600w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/fallback-160x134.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points. Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But she's also 66 years old and has diabetes, both of which make her more vulnerable to the coronavirus. According to the U.S. Department of Education, almost \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020142.pdf\">30% \u003c/a>of teachers are 50 and older, putting them in a higher-risk category for the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I just don't trust the school district to safeguard my health during this pandemic,\" Stauffer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the poll, 78% of teachers said they are concerned specifically about accessing sufficient personal protective equipment and even cleaning materials for teaching in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stauffer says her district cut custodial staff several years ago, and after that it was often up to teachers to clean their own rooms. \"They don't supply hand sanitizer. They don't supply wipes. None of these supplies were ever given to us. You just use what you had or what teachers themselves purchased.\" She says she doubts her school will be able to keep up with the increased cleaning measures \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html\">recommended\u003c/a> by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Charlie McGeehan, a high school teacher in Philadelphia, has similar concerns. In an email to NPR, he said, \"Much of my hesitation comes from the persistent underfunding of my district, and its proven inability to provide for the safety of staff and students.\" McGeehan notes that several school buildings in the School District of Philadelphia \u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/two-more-philly-schools-to-close-for-asbestos-cleanup/\">closed for asbestos cleanup\u003c/a> in the last school year, and one teacher \u003ca href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/cancer-stricken-teacher-settles-with-philly-school-district-for-850k/#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Board%20of%20Education,she%20learned%20she%20had%20mesothelioma\">settled with the district\u003c/a> for $850,000 over her mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to the toxin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These issues have been ongoing, and repeatedly raised, for more than 30 years — and they still persist,\" McGeehan says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to their health concerns about coming back, teachers are also worried that coronavirus safety measures will interfere with teaching and learning. Seventy-three percent of teachers say they are concerned about connecting with students while wearing a mask. And 84% of teachers say they are likely to have difficulty enforcing social distancing among their students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56448\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 947px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56448\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"947\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5.png 947w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-800x351.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-160x70.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-5-768x337.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 947px) 100vw, 947px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points.\u003cbr>Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"I want to go back, and I don't want to go back,\" says Felicia Tinsley, who teaches elementary school students with special needs in Chester County, S.C. She expects to navigate a steep learning curve with her students. \"You have to teach kids how to wear masks properly and teach them '6 feet apart.' ... We're going to be doing, basically, instructions on how to operate in our new society.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinsley says it may be especially difficult for her to enforce mask wearing because the topic has been politicized in her area of the country. \"Some people, they have their own beliefs,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She plans to impress the seriousness of the issue on her students by letting them know she contracted the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McGeehan, in Philadelphia, has a different concern around mask enforcement: \"As a white teacher who works with predominantly Black students, I think a lot about the ways that I exert control in my classroom — and how that manifests white supremacy and racism. ... [I'm] considering going back to a school environment where I'm asked to constantly police how far away students are from each other, whether or not they are wearing masks, where they're allowed to go during the day, etc. If this is the type of classroom I'm going to have to facilitate, is in-person learning worth all the risks?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, teachers prefer the idea of teaching online to coming back in person. One bright spot in the poll is that, compared with the spring, 4 out of 5 teachers feel more prepared to teach online this fall. And 70% think their school district's online or distance-learning effort is headed in the right direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56447\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1012px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56447\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1012\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4.png 1012w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-800x300.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-160x60.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/Fallback-4-768x288.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1012px) 100vw, 1012px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 505 U.S. K-12 teachers conducted July 21-24. The credibility interval is plus or minus 5 percentage points. \"Don't know\" responses not shown.\u003cbr>Credit: Audrey Carlsen/NPR\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"Every teacher in the nation basically was thrown into some crash course in March and April,\" says Danielle Simpson, who teaches fourth grade at Crescent Academy International, an Islamic private school in Canton, Mich. Going into the fall, she says, the bar is going to be raised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been taking some courses online and watching professional development webinars to give myself a boost. And there's probably a lot of other teachers doing that, too,\" she says. \"We're developing students' digital citizenship skills, which will support them after graduation.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenny White, who teaches middle school English language arts in Fort Worth, Texas, has also been doing professional development to design more collaborative online classes. She says she's relieved the school year will be starting remote-only in her district, because she feels her classes will be more interactive and less stilted online than in a classroom, where she would have to enforce social distancing and children would be speaking through masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will be \"not so fun for them\" in person, she predicts: \"We won't be able to allow them to sit with their friends. There's not going to be chances really for collaboration, where they get to work in groups and have those real rich conversations that they need to have, especially in language arts.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet more than half of surveyed teachers, 55%, say they cannot properly do their job online. Eighty-four percent say online learning creates gaps in opportunities for students. And 83% are also concerned about connecting with students they've never met when online classes begin this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the respondents have their own children at home, and 57% of those parent-teachers agree with the statement, \"I cannot properly do my job from home while also taking care of my own child(ren).\" Meanwhile, fewer than half of teachers, 43%, feel comfortable sending their own children to school this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I do not believe there is any reasonable plan that could be made that would keep my son safe,\" says Eric Schavrda, who visits multiple campuses to teach the visually impaired in Austin, Texas. He says he doesn't see a way to do his job safely either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unless daily tests of all students and contact tracing support were to be available statewide, there is no way to ensure a safe return to school,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caught between anxieties about returning to school and about teaching remotely, U.S. teachers have been feeling a lot of uncertainty. In the third week of July, when in many places teachers would normally be working on lesson plans and dusting off classroom decorations, just 11% said their school district's plan for how to start the school year during the pandemic was finalized and clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simpson, in Michigan, says, \"There's certain things that still haven't been answered\" as of the first week of August. Her school is planning to open at the end of August with a hybrid schedule, with three rotating cohorts of students. \"With this new rotating schedule, it feels like I'm going to lose some of my prep time from before. So that's one of the things that I'm still waiting to hear about.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighty-three percent of instructors are also concerned the plans will change after the year starts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinsley, in South Carolina, is resigned to that — she says her district has already pushed back the start of the school year and gone from offering five days a week in person to a hybrid schedule. \"I'll just see what happens, because every day something changes,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the difficulties, 70% of respondents tell NPR/Ipsos that if they could pick a career all over again, they would still choose to be teachers. And just 16% say they would leave the profession if they were called back to the classroom. Stauffer, in Texas, made that hard decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says she was upset, sad and torn, but her health concerns won out. She decided to retire and had to say goodbye to her students over Zoom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Most+Teachers+Concerned+About+In-Person+School%3B+2+In+3+Want+To+Start+The+Year+Online&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "How to Stay Physically, but Not Emotionally, Distant with Kindergarten and Pre-K Students",
"title": "How to Stay Physically, but Not Emotionally, Distant with Kindergarten and Pre-K Students",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>If this were a normal summer, Katy Phinney and her colleagues would be organizing their Pre-K classrooms for the new school year, choosing classroom themes and wall décor. Instead, Phinney is worried about what Pre-K will look like if and when students return to classrooms. “My biggest concern is teachers needing to balance the importance of safety procedures with creating a welcoming and loving environment for our students,” says Phinney, the Pre-K program director in Richardson Independent School District in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early childhood classrooms are going to look different this year, even if school buildings are open – no desk clusters with kids sharing materials, no cozy circles on the rug, no holding hands on the way to the bathroom. \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html\">CDC guidelines\u003c/a> recommend social distancing, keeping students in one classroom throughout the day, and masks for adults. (In many schools, young children will be encouraged but not required to wear masks.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These measures are necessary to protect everyone’s physical health, but what will be the effects on young children’s social and emotional health? Pre-K and kindergarten are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49205/why-preschool-is-the-most-important-year-in-a-childs-development\">pivotal points in a child’s education,\u003c/a> in part because they set the tone for long-term feelings about school. “How are we going to not make this a traumatic experience for our littlest learners?” Phinney wonders.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Physically but not emotionally distant \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Trusting, nurturing relationships are the foundation of a smooth transition to school, and they are more important now than ever. “You want to encourage children to be physically distant but not emotionally distant,” says Angela Searcy, a child development instructor at the Erikson Institute and owner of Simple Solutions Educational Services, which provides consultation to early childhood educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That will take some creative thinking. For example, circle time and morning meeting will be challenging. Teachers can encourage distancing by asking kids to picture themselves in a giant bubble that will help them monitor whether they’re staying 6 feet apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facial expressions are an important way of communicating and building relationships, so some early childhood educators plan to wear face shields or masks with clear windows around the mouth, “so the kids can see our smiles!,” says Phinney. Searcy suggests teachers take pictures of themselves and students making different facial expressions and then put the photos on keyrings or lanyards so everyone can point to the picture that expresses the emotions they’re feeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also recommends “intensifying the use of visuals,” like sign language to complement speech and visual checklists for routines, which many teachers already use. Teachers can draw from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56195/how-students-benefit-from-a-school-reopening-plan-designed-for-those-at-the-margins\">principles of universal design\u003c/a>, incorporating strategies developed for students with disabilities to make learning more accessible to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://health.oregonstate.edu/people/megan-mcclelland\">Megan McClelland\u003c/a>, director of the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families at Oregon State University, highlights the importance of building children’s self-regulation skills to help them navigate this time. She has researched how educators can use brief, fun \u003ca href=\"https://health.oregonstate.edu/biblio/stop-think-act-integrating-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom\">games to build skills like impulse control, emotion regulation, and cognitive flexibility\u003c/a>. The games are adaptable for different situations and contexts, and the researchers find that teachers are accustomed to making those modifications based on the space and time they have. McClelland says that simply “adding a little bit of intentionality to the strategies teachers are already doing to support self-regulation can be really helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The absence of touch \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Still, the absence of touch will be a loss for young children and their teachers, some experts say. Melissa Ali-Bell, an administrator at Baldwin Hills Elementary School in Los Angeles says, “I think it’s going to be extremely difficult for the little ones to not touch. That’s how they show their love for you and each other.” Positive touch can be reassuring for children who are stressed or who have experienced trauma, according to \u003ca href=\"https://ampersand.gseis.ucla.edu/tunette-powell-creating-a-safe-place-for-black-parents/\">Tunette Powell\u003c/a>, interim director of the UCLA Parent Empowerment Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Powell urges schools to think about other ways to establish emotional safety for students, such as applying the principles of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/trauma-informed-teaching\">trauma-informed teaching\u003c/a>, and to be wary of focusing only on physical safety. “You can give everybody masks and testing, and you can go through a whole school year where no one has COVID, but if you didn’t think about safety in terms of love and restoration and care, that wasn’t safe,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of creating an emotionally safe environment is \u003cstrong>supporting rather than punishing children when they struggle to follow the health guidelines.\u003c/strong> “It’s important to keep the adult response focused on empathy and teaching,” says Allyson Apsey, principal of Quincy Elementary in Zeeland, Michigan. That includes focusing on “do’s” rather than “don’ts” and using images like emulating superheroes by wearing masks. Teachers and administrators should \u003ca href=\"http://www.educationalleadership-digital.com/educationalleadership/201809/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1419398#articleId1419398\">avoid using behavior charts\u003c/a> and other tactics that shame children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ali-Bell is concerned that some teachers will send children out of classrooms or even suspend them if they have trouble following the distancing guidelines. This could have lasting negative impacts on children, especially Black children, who are \u003ca href=\"https://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ICS-2018-PreschoolSuspensionBrief-WEB.pdf\">suspended and expelled from preschool at disproportionate rates,\u003c/a> feeding the \u003ca href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10665684.2014.958965?casa_token=G_peJoPItBsAAAAA%3AkCFjtrP8heiqLARagHHQQLtmPGHxc84atM-1gEfvUfMiL0vhGTUJKbU05YV5Ok0nrDoX7lI3VPhL\">school-to-prison pipeline\u003c/a> at a shockingly early age. Powell, who went into education after speaking out about her sons’ repeated preschool suspensions, cautions that “we’re going to have schools that look a bit more like prison than ever before,” with strict guidelines such as how children walk through the hallways. Educators must do everything they can to make young children feel like school is a positive and loving place, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Adults set the tone \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Following the health guidelines may not be as hard for children as adults fear, say some educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people have said this is going to be so hard on the kids, but it’s actually harder on the adults. The kids are happy and healthy,” says Janna Baasch, a program director at Play Palz 101 in Kankakee, Illinois, which stayed open as an emergency childcare center for essential workers and has recently expanded its capacity. Children at her center do not have trouble sitting several feet apart and have responded well to new curriculum elements about hygiene, she says, adding, “They really get it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young children take their cues from adults, reminds teachers and child development specialists. “Children are mirrors of our own emotions,” principal Apsey says. If teachers and parents are calm, children will be, too. That’s not necessarily easy at a time when all of us are stressed and anxious – and when we are stressed, we are more likely to be \u003ca href=\"https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/building-core-capabilities-for-life/\">on the alert for perceived threats and to lose our temper or lash out\u003c/a>. To minimize the chance of such counterproductive reactions, Powell advises that “we’re going to have to invest in early childhood educators – not only in paying them more but in superb training and access to mental health services.” That might include opportunities for teachers to talk about their fears and practice calming strategies like \u003ca href=\"https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_mindfulness_can_help_teachers\">mindfulness.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators can also help parents set a calm, reassuring tone with children. Baasch talks frequently with parents on the phone because they aren’t allowed in the center right now. She updates them, listens to their fears, and reassures them about safety protocols. Even though many of the families are new to her center in recent months, she says they and their children already feel strong bonds with the staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julie Fatt, who has taught kindergarten through second grade at P.S. 121 in Brooklyn, NY for over 30 years, is also beefing up her family outreach. She says her school has always placed a high priority on family relationships but “we went above and beyond” when schools closed last spring, having regular one-on-one video calls with families to check in and offer support. Fatt and her colleagues are planning an event to help families prepare their children for the hybrid learning model New York City public schools are currently planning to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It remains to be seen when classrooms in New York and around the country will actually open, and what they will look like when they do. Fortunately, teachers of young children are used to being creative and adjusting on the fly. Fatt’s motto right now is “be patient, go with the flow, and we’ll figure it out as we go.” That philosophy surely feels normal to many early childhood educators, even at a time when so little else does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Suzanne Bouffard is the author of \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534830/the-most-important-year-by-suzanne-bouffard/\">The Most Important Year: \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534830/the-most-important-year-by-suzanne-bouffard/\">Pre-Kindergarten and the Future of our Children\u003c/a>.\" You can follow her at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SuzanneBouffard\">@SuzanneBouffard\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Social distancing poses several challenges for younger children whose physical and emotional needs differ from older kids. Educators have identified ways to keep kids safe while giving them the environment needed to learn and feel cared for.",
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"description": "Social distancing poses several challenges for younger children whose physical and emotional needs differ from older kids. Educators have identified ways to keep kids safe while giving them the environment needed to learn and feel cared for.",
"title": "How to Stay Physically, but Not Emotionally, Distant with Kindergarten and Pre-K Students - MindShift",
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"headline": "How to Stay Physically, but Not Emotionally, Distant with Kindergarten and Pre-K Students",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If this were a normal summer, Katy Phinney and her colleagues would be organizing their Pre-K classrooms for the new school year, choosing classroom themes and wall décor. Instead, Phinney is worried about what Pre-K will look like if and when students return to classrooms. “My biggest concern is teachers needing to balance the importance of safety procedures with creating a welcoming and loving environment for our students,” says Phinney, the Pre-K program director in Richardson Independent School District in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early childhood classrooms are going to look different this year, even if school buildings are open – no desk clusters with kids sharing materials, no cozy circles on the rug, no holding hands on the way to the bathroom. \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html\">CDC guidelines\u003c/a> recommend social distancing, keeping students in one classroom throughout the day, and masks for adults. (In many schools, young children will be encouraged but not required to wear masks.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These measures are necessary to protect everyone’s physical health, but what will be the effects on young children’s social and emotional health? Pre-K and kindergarten are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49205/why-preschool-is-the-most-important-year-in-a-childs-development\">pivotal points in a child’s education,\u003c/a> in part because they set the tone for long-term feelings about school. “How are we going to not make this a traumatic experience for our littlest learners?” Phinney wonders.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Physically but not emotionally distant \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Trusting, nurturing relationships are the foundation of a smooth transition to school, and they are more important now than ever. “You want to encourage children to be physically distant but not emotionally distant,” says Angela Searcy, a child development instructor at the Erikson Institute and owner of Simple Solutions Educational Services, which provides consultation to early childhood educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That will take some creative thinking. For example, circle time and morning meeting will be challenging. Teachers can encourage distancing by asking kids to picture themselves in a giant bubble that will help them monitor whether they’re staying 6 feet apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facial expressions are an important way of communicating and building relationships, so some early childhood educators plan to wear face shields or masks with clear windows around the mouth, “so the kids can see our smiles!,” says Phinney. Searcy suggests teachers take pictures of themselves and students making different facial expressions and then put the photos on keyrings or lanyards so everyone can point to the picture that expresses the emotions they’re feeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also recommends “intensifying the use of visuals,” like sign language to complement speech and visual checklists for routines, which many teachers already use. Teachers can draw from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56195/how-students-benefit-from-a-school-reopening-plan-designed-for-those-at-the-margins\">principles of universal design\u003c/a>, incorporating strategies developed for students with disabilities to make learning more accessible to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://health.oregonstate.edu/people/megan-mcclelland\">Megan McClelland\u003c/a>, director of the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families at Oregon State University, highlights the importance of building children’s self-regulation skills to help them navigate this time. She has researched how educators can use brief, fun \u003ca href=\"https://health.oregonstate.edu/biblio/stop-think-act-integrating-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom\">games to build skills like impulse control, emotion regulation, and cognitive flexibility\u003c/a>. The games are adaptable for different situations and contexts, and the researchers find that teachers are accustomed to making those modifications based on the space and time they have. McClelland says that simply “adding a little bit of intentionality to the strategies teachers are already doing to support self-regulation can be really helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The absence of touch \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Still, the absence of touch will be a loss for young children and their teachers, some experts say. Melissa Ali-Bell, an administrator at Baldwin Hills Elementary School in Los Angeles says, “I think it’s going to be extremely difficult for the little ones to not touch. That’s how they show their love for you and each other.” Positive touch can be reassuring for children who are stressed or who have experienced trauma, according to \u003ca href=\"https://ampersand.gseis.ucla.edu/tunette-powell-creating-a-safe-place-for-black-parents/\">Tunette Powell\u003c/a>, interim director of the UCLA Parent Empowerment Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Powell urges schools to think about other ways to establish emotional safety for students, such as applying the principles of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/trauma-informed-teaching\">trauma-informed teaching\u003c/a>, and to be wary of focusing only on physical safety. “You can give everybody masks and testing, and you can go through a whole school year where no one has COVID, but if you didn’t think about safety in terms of love and restoration and care, that wasn’t safe,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of creating an emotionally safe environment is \u003cstrong>supporting rather than punishing children when they struggle to follow the health guidelines.\u003c/strong> “It’s important to keep the adult response focused on empathy and teaching,” says Allyson Apsey, principal of Quincy Elementary in Zeeland, Michigan. That includes focusing on “do’s” rather than “don’ts” and using images like emulating superheroes by wearing masks. Teachers and administrators should \u003ca href=\"http://www.educationalleadership-digital.com/educationalleadership/201809/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1419398#articleId1419398\">avoid using behavior charts\u003c/a> and other tactics that shame children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ali-Bell is concerned that some teachers will send children out of classrooms or even suspend them if they have trouble following the distancing guidelines. This could have lasting negative impacts on children, especially Black children, who are \u003ca href=\"https://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ICS-2018-PreschoolSuspensionBrief-WEB.pdf\">suspended and expelled from preschool at disproportionate rates,\u003c/a> feeding the \u003ca href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10665684.2014.958965?casa_token=G_peJoPItBsAAAAA%3AkCFjtrP8heiqLARagHHQQLtmPGHxc84atM-1gEfvUfMiL0vhGTUJKbU05YV5Ok0nrDoX7lI3VPhL\">school-to-prison pipeline\u003c/a> at a shockingly early age. Powell, who went into education after speaking out about her sons’ repeated preschool suspensions, cautions that “we’re going to have schools that look a bit more like prison than ever before,” with strict guidelines such as how children walk through the hallways. Educators must do everything they can to make young children feel like school is a positive and loving place, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Adults set the tone \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Following the health guidelines may not be as hard for children as adults fear, say some educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people have said this is going to be so hard on the kids, but it’s actually harder on the adults. The kids are happy and healthy,” says Janna Baasch, a program director at Play Palz 101 in Kankakee, Illinois, which stayed open as an emergency childcare center for essential workers and has recently expanded its capacity. Children at her center do not have trouble sitting several feet apart and have responded well to new curriculum elements about hygiene, she says, adding, “They really get it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young children take their cues from adults, reminds teachers and child development specialists. “Children are mirrors of our own emotions,” principal Apsey says. If teachers and parents are calm, children will be, too. That’s not necessarily easy at a time when all of us are stressed and anxious – and when we are stressed, we are more likely to be \u003ca href=\"https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/building-core-capabilities-for-life/\">on the alert for perceived threats and to lose our temper or lash out\u003c/a>. To minimize the chance of such counterproductive reactions, Powell advises that “we’re going to have to invest in early childhood educators – not only in paying them more but in superb training and access to mental health services.” That might include opportunities for teachers to talk about their fears and practice calming strategies like \u003ca href=\"https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_mindfulness_can_help_teachers\">mindfulness.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators can also help parents set a calm, reassuring tone with children. Baasch talks frequently with parents on the phone because they aren’t allowed in the center right now. She updates them, listens to their fears, and reassures them about safety protocols. Even though many of the families are new to her center in recent months, she says they and their children already feel strong bonds with the staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julie Fatt, who has taught kindergarten through second grade at P.S. 121 in Brooklyn, NY for over 30 years, is also beefing up her family outreach. She says her school has always placed a high priority on family relationships but “we went above and beyond” when schools closed last spring, having regular one-on-one video calls with families to check in and offer support. Fatt and her colleagues are planning an event to help families prepare their children for the hybrid learning model New York City public schools are currently planning to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It remains to be seen when classrooms in New York and around the country will actually open, and what they will look like when they do. Fortunately, teachers of young children are used to being creative and adjusting on the fly. Fatt’s motto right now is “be patient, go with the flow, and we’ll figure it out as we go.” That philosophy surely feels normal to many early childhood educators, even at a time when so little else does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Suzanne Bouffard is the author of \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534830/the-most-important-year-by-suzanne-bouffard/\">The Most Important Year: \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534830/the-most-important-year-by-suzanne-bouffard/\">Pre-Kindergarten and the Future of our Children\u003c/a>.\" You can follow her at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SuzanneBouffard\">@SuzanneBouffard\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Why Student Voice is Critical for Managing Discipline When Schools Reopen",
"title": "Why Student Voice is Critical for Managing Discipline When Schools Reopen",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56259/as-school-year-approaches-parents-and-educators-struggle-with-uncertainty\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">unclear\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when school buildings will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2020/07/reopening_schools_district_plans.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reopen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> across the U.S., but when they do, it \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56118/5-radical-schooling-ideas-for-an-uncertain-fall-and-beyond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">won’t be education as usual\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/coronavirus\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coronavirus precautions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> may include wearing masks, spacing desks six feet apart, restricting hallway movement and eating lunch inside classrooms. Students will be reconnecting with peers after months of limited contact, and some will still be dealing with the stress caused by the pandemic’s medical or financial impact on their families. This unusual brew of circumstances has some educators \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/we-cannot-return-to-campus-this-fall-1ad91b8a65e0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">worried\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about more than just the spread of germs. Will enforcement of new health and safety measures \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/tchkimpossible/status/1272573185523961857?s=12\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lead to increased disciplinary actions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, further disrupting students’ education? And if so, will it exacerbate the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/677508707/suspensions-are-down-in-u-s-schools-but-large-racial-gaps-remain\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">disproportionate punishment rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that Black students and students with disabilities already experience?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I can just see people coming back and being like, ‘No, these are the rules. You violate the rules and this is what’s going to happen to you,’” said Michael Essien, principal at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School (MLK) in San Francisco. That rigid approach is not how he plans to lead. Perhaps that’s because he has already been through the mill to find an effective way to rein in behavioral issues at his school. Prior to his arrival at MLK and during his \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10447247/with-suspensions-down-some-schools-struggle-to-increase-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first few years\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as assistant principal, the climate was \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/archive/8807013/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">chaotic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Essien acknowledges. The school had one of the highest \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bay-only-school-draft/1927926/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">suspension rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the region and so many of those suspensions were for Black students that the state was monitoring the issue. When he moved up to the lead principal role, he implemented a system called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49558/a-deeper-look-at-the-whole-school-approach-to-behavior\">push-in\u003c/a>” services, in which support staff come to classrooms to de-escalate and resolve problems, rather than \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/14/815778434/new-documentary-examines-how-black-girls-are-disproportionately-punished-in-scho\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yanking students out\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The introduction of push-in services has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49558/a-deeper-look-at-the-whole-school-approach-to-behavior\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">transformed the learning environment\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and led to a big drop in disciplinary actions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it’s not just that track record that gives Essien confidence about managing discipline during the pandemic. It’s something deeper that he has promoted as a school administrator: student voice. When students return to MLK, they won’t immediately be lectured about masks and other new rules. “It's going to be a conversation,” Essien said. “When we come up with what we're going to agree upon, then that will be what we will implement.” That doesn’t mean students can reject state or district mandates. MLK staff will be up front about non-negotiables, but Essien said that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/38102/how-can-students-have-more-say-in-school-decisions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">listening to young people’s ideas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about how to handle the changes will give students agency and increase their investment in the solutions. “(School is) going to be a lot different. I have feelings, and I know they're going to have feelings,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56395\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 667px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"667\" height=\"1074\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1.png 667w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1-160x258.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Example of a See, Hear, Feel, Do chart. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Michael Essien)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Student onboarding\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Under normal circumstances, during the first four weeks of school, MLK students would spend homeroom and the elective period doing onboarding activities that range from social-emotional lessons to discussions about sexual harassment to outdoor games. Though the logistics of this year’s onboarding will depend on when and how the school building opens, Essien said that one particular activity will be critical for a positive return. That exercise, which comes from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodbehaviorgame.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pax Good Behavior Game\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is called a “See, Hear, Feel, Do” chart. To kick it off, a teacher asks students to envision their dream school — the place where they would be the happiest learner. Students individually brainstorm what they would see, hear, feel and do in that school. They take three minutes of silent writing time for each verb before sharing their ideas in small groups and with the class. Next the teacher asks them to envision the worst school and come up with the things that might happen there. By the end of this process, the class creates a large chart listing out the things they want to experience more and less of in their own school. Some examples from previous students include wanting to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/45322/how-trauma-informed-teaching-builds-a-sense-of-safety-and-care\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">feel safe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and not threatened, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52421/what-giving-students-choice-looks-like-in-the-classroom\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">choose their own seats\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and do less busywork, see more \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/50925/4-tools-for-teaching-teamwork-and-collaboration-in-the-classroom\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">teamwork\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and less trash on the floor, and hear more music and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56187/6-things-anti-racist-educators-want-grown-ups-to-know-about-teaching-and-raising-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fewer racist remarks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The See, Hear, Feel, Do charts created by homeroom sections are combined into one for each grade level. Essien said that in the new school year, this will be the first step in “co-constructing what discipline is going to look like around us.” Teachers and administrators refer back to the charts throughout the year, so it’s important that the ideas are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/student-centered-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">student-driven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The whole point of this is we need to have kids give their perspective, because (then) it's a different conversation. Then the adults in the building, we’re not disciplining you, we’re reminding you of what you wanted.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When problems arise, if push-in support fails and a student winds up in Essien’s office, the principal continues to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/student-voice\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">elevate student voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in his response. He starts by asking the child if their student rights were violated, then digs for the context of the issue and eventually asks the student what they think will resolve the situation. There’s no script for those conversations, because it is individualized. Some students might suggest a too-harsh consequence, and others might suggest something that’s too light. Either way, Essien guides them to a reasonable solution, which may involve repairing damaged relationships or may lead to increased academic or emotional support for the student. In some cases, the student might point out a policy that Essien needs to revise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Listening to Kids\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Essien’s emphasis on student voice contrasts with his own experiences as a child and teenager growing up in a Southern Baptist household. “I clearly remember how I felt knowing that I couldn’t share my opinion,” he said. “Adults did things to me and I had to accept it. I was very angry and frustrated. And so seeing that same anger and frustration when I was the assistant principal, and we had all those referrals, suspensions, fights, it was like, whoa, we need to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52616/why-adults-should-listen-learn-trust-and-expect-more-from-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">listen to kids\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We need to talk to kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listening and talking happens in many spaces beyond MLK’s onboarding process and the principal’s office. Essien spends one day per month attending gym classes to hear students’ concerns and complaints on any topic, including his own actions. The school also has a peer resources class in which about 15 students review school policies and report on how they are affecting students. This past spring, Essien’s staff \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/44360/how-meaningful-feedback-for-teachers-and-students-improves-relationships\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gathered feedback\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">emergency distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> through multiple student surveys. A common frustration was that instructions for digital work were confusing. That helped teachers realize that they needed to provide video or audio instructions, too, because of low literacy levels. “It’s a different kind of conversation trying to integrate the kids into the community as opposed to having the kids sit outside the community,” Essien said. So whether it’s a new requirement to wear masks or any other changes related to COVID-19, he sees the return to school as “a great opportunity for us to continue to develop (students’) agency and their voice.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Coronavirus safety procedures will mean new rules, and new rules will mean consequences for students who don't comply. Educators like Michael Essien are developing ways to have students learn safely while co-creating the kind of schools they want with an extended onboarding procedure for students at the beginning of the year. ",
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"description": "Coronavirus safety procedures will mean new rules, and new rules will mean consequences for students who don't comply. Educators like Michael Essien are developing ways to have students learn safely while co-creating the kind of schools they want with an extended onboarding procedure for students at the beginning of the year. ",
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"headline": "Why Student Voice is Critical for Managing Discipline When Schools Reopen",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56259/as-school-year-approaches-parents-and-educators-struggle-with-uncertainty\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">unclear\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when school buildings will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2020/07/reopening_schools_district_plans.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reopen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> across the U.S., but when they do, it \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56118/5-radical-schooling-ideas-for-an-uncertain-fall-and-beyond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">won’t be education as usual\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/coronavirus\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coronavirus precautions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> may include wearing masks, spacing desks six feet apart, restricting hallway movement and eating lunch inside classrooms. Students will be reconnecting with peers after months of limited contact, and some will still be dealing with the stress caused by the pandemic’s medical or financial impact on their families. This unusual brew of circumstances has some educators \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/we-cannot-return-to-campus-this-fall-1ad91b8a65e0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">worried\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about more than just the spread of germs. Will enforcement of new health and safety measures \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/tchkimpossible/status/1272573185523961857?s=12\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lead to increased disciplinary actions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, further disrupting students’ education? And if so, will it exacerbate the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/677508707/suspensions-are-down-in-u-s-schools-but-large-racial-gaps-remain\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">disproportionate punishment rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that Black students and students with disabilities already experience?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I can just see people coming back and being like, ‘No, these are the rules. You violate the rules and this is what’s going to happen to you,’” said Michael Essien, principal at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School (MLK) in San Francisco. That rigid approach is not how he plans to lead. Perhaps that’s because he has already been through the mill to find an effective way to rein in behavioral issues at his school. Prior to his arrival at MLK and during his \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10447247/with-suspensions-down-some-schools-struggle-to-increase-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first few years\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as assistant principal, the climate was \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/archive/8807013/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">chaotic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Essien acknowledges. The school had one of the highest \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bay-only-school-draft/1927926/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">suspension rates\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the region and so many of those suspensions were for Black students that the state was monitoring the issue. When he moved up to the lead principal role, he implemented a system called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49558/a-deeper-look-at-the-whole-school-approach-to-behavior\">push-in\u003c/a>” services, in which support staff come to classrooms to de-escalate and resolve problems, rather than \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/14/815778434/new-documentary-examines-how-black-girls-are-disproportionately-punished-in-scho\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yanking students out\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The introduction of push-in services has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49558/a-deeper-look-at-the-whole-school-approach-to-behavior\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">transformed the learning environment\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and led to a big drop in disciplinary actions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it’s not just that track record that gives Essien confidence about managing discipline during the pandemic. It’s something deeper that he has promoted as a school administrator: student voice. When students return to MLK, they won’t immediately be lectured about masks and other new rules. “It's going to be a conversation,” Essien said. “When we come up with what we're going to agree upon, then that will be what we will implement.” That doesn’t mean students can reject state or district mandates. MLK staff will be up front about non-negotiables, but Essien said that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/38102/how-can-students-have-more-say-in-school-decisions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">listening to young people’s ideas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about how to handle the changes will give students agency and increase their investment in the solutions. “(School is) going to be a lot different. I have feelings, and I know they're going to have feelings,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_56395\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 667px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-56395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"667\" height=\"1074\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1.png 667w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/See-Feel-Do-Hear-Chart-1-160x258.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Example of a See, Hear, Feel, Do chart. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Michael Essien)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Student onboarding\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Under normal circumstances, during the first four weeks of school, MLK students would spend homeroom and the elective period doing onboarding activities that range from social-emotional lessons to discussions about sexual harassment to outdoor games. Though the logistics of this year’s onboarding will depend on when and how the school building opens, Essien said that one particular activity will be critical for a positive return. That exercise, which comes from the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodbehaviorgame.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pax Good Behavior Game\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is called a “See, Hear, Feel, Do” chart. To kick it off, a teacher asks students to envision their dream school — the place where they would be the happiest learner. Students individually brainstorm what they would see, hear, feel and do in that school. They take three minutes of silent writing time for each verb before sharing their ideas in small groups and with the class. Next the teacher asks them to envision the worst school and come up with the things that might happen there. By the end of this process, the class creates a large chart listing out the things they want to experience more and less of in their own school. Some examples from previous students include wanting to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/45322/how-trauma-informed-teaching-builds-a-sense-of-safety-and-care\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">feel safe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and not threatened, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52421/what-giving-students-choice-looks-like-in-the-classroom\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">choose their own seats\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and do less busywork, see more \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/50925/4-tools-for-teaching-teamwork-and-collaboration-in-the-classroom\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">teamwork\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and less trash on the floor, and hear more music and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56187/6-things-anti-racist-educators-want-grown-ups-to-know-about-teaching-and-raising-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fewer racist remarks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The See, Hear, Feel, Do charts created by homeroom sections are combined into one for each grade level. Essien said that in the new school year, this will be the first step in “co-constructing what discipline is going to look like around us.” Teachers and administrators refer back to the charts throughout the year, so it’s important that the ideas are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/student-centered-learning\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">student-driven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The whole point of this is we need to have kids give their perspective, because (then) it's a different conversation. Then the adults in the building, we’re not disciplining you, we’re reminding you of what you wanted.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When problems arise, if push-in support fails and a student winds up in Essien’s office, the principal continues to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/student-voice\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">elevate student voice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in his response. He starts by asking the child if their student rights were violated, then digs for the context of the issue and eventually asks the student what they think will resolve the situation. There’s no script for those conversations, because it is individualized. Some students might suggest a too-harsh consequence, and others might suggest something that’s too light. Either way, Essien guides them to a reasonable solution, which may involve repairing damaged relationships or may lead to increased academic or emotional support for the student. In some cases, the student might point out a policy that Essien needs to revise.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch1>\u003cb>Listening to Kids\u003c/b>\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Essien’s emphasis on student voice contrasts with his own experiences as a child and teenager growing up in a Southern Baptist household. “I clearly remember how I felt knowing that I couldn’t share my opinion,” he said. “Adults did things to me and I had to accept it. I was very angry and frustrated. And so seeing that same anger and frustration when I was the assistant principal, and we had all those referrals, suspensions, fights, it was like, whoa, we need to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52616/why-adults-should-listen-learn-trust-and-expect-more-from-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">listen to kids\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We need to talk to kids.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listening and talking happens in many spaces beyond MLK’s onboarding process and the principal’s office. Essien spends one day per month attending gym classes to hear students’ concerns and complaints on any topic, including his own actions. The school also has a peer resources class in which about 15 students review school policies and report on how they are affecting students. This past spring, Essien’s staff \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/44360/how-meaningful-feedback-for-teachers-and-students-improves-relationships\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gathered feedback\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56068/how-teachers-want-emergency-distance-learning-improved\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">emergency distance learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> through multiple student surveys. A common frustration was that instructions for digital work were confusing. That helped teachers realize that they needed to provide video or audio instructions, too, because of low literacy levels. “It’s a different kind of conversation trying to integrate the kids into the community as opposed to having the kids sit outside the community,” Essien said. So whether it’s a new requirement to wear masks or any other changes related to COVID-19, he sees the return to school as “a great opportunity for us to continue to develop (students’) agency and their voice.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story is part of a MindShift series that explores solutions for returning to school during the COVID19 pandemic, supported in part by the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.schusterman.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>Charles\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s3\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">\u003ci>and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. MindShift retains sole editorial control over all content. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "What Are Parents Doing For Child Care? Here Are 3 Options (With Trade-Offs)",
"title": "What Are Parents Doing For Child Care? Here Are 3 Options (With Trade-Offs)",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Kirk Gallegos is a single father of four. He works construction in Barstow, Calif. Prudence Carter is a single mother of one. She's the dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both share the same problem with tens of millions of other parents around the country: Their public schools aren't operating full time in-person this fall. And the rest of the child care system, which had been stretched even before the pandemic, is itself under pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The child care sector consists for the most part of small businesses and nonprofits supported by a patchwork of public subsidies. Centers and in-home day cares are mostly owned and operated by women, disproportionately women of color, many of whom live at poverty wages. Child care centers and after-school programs have lost income during shutdowns and because of state and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccnewyork.org/blog/state-fy-21-executive-budget-would-exacerbate-needs-of-nycs-children-families/\">local budget cuts\u003c/a>, and many have been forced to close for safety reasons. Republicans \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/republicans-15-billion-bailout-of-child-care-industry-falls-short.html\">have proposed $15 billion\u003c/a> for the child care sector in the latest coronavirus aid package; Democrats are seeking \u003ca href=\"https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-smith-warren-childcare-bailout-coronavirus-relief-package\">more than three times \u003c/a>that amount.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the interim, families are being left to improvise. They're having to consider not only their children's safety but also their academic progress and their well-being after months of isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think parents are just trying to do what they have to do to survive in this moment,\" sums up Carter, who is a scholar of inequality in education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents have a few options, but none of them come without trade-offs, and they aren't available to all families equally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 1: Step back from the workforce \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first resort for parents, and particularly mothers, is working less to take care of their own children. We're in an employment crisis anyway, but caregiving responsibilities are keeping some parents from even looking for work. A recent survey from the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 55% of Hispanic and 44% of Black parents on unemployment insurance were not planning to or did not accept an offer to return to work due to caregiving needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gallegos, the construction worker, until recently had to juggle job hunting with taking care of his girls, who range in age from 1 to 10. \"I would take them with me [on interviews] or [search] online. I didn't want to use the day care unless I really, really, really needed to.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who have the relative privilege to work from home, there is a subtler toll on productivity and well-being, particularly for mothers. Many are splitting their schedules, getting up early and staying up late to work while children sleep. Carter cites\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01294-9\"> an analysis \u003c/a> from her own field of higher education, suggesting that across disciplines, male scholars are producing relatively more work than their female counterparts, more so than before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as she's working to shift policies to make sure that her own faculty, staff and students who are caregivers aren't penalized for lagging research and publication under these conditions, Carter laments her own loss of \"concentrated time.\" \"It's really hard to write. I was hoping to get a new project off the ground this summer.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 2: In-home day cares\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For school-age children who don't have a family member to watch them for free,\u003ca href=\"https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/102621/meeting-the-school-age-child-care-needs-of-working-parents-facing-covid-19-distance-learning.pdf\"> organized group child care and after-school programs \u003c/a>are the most common option, according to a recent policy analysis by the Urban Institute. But the pandemic has shut many of those as well, because the group sizes are too large for social distancing and cohorting, or because they've lost access to public school buildings, or both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves the next most popular option: in-home day cares. Pre-pandemic, these small neighborhood businesses took care of 7 million children, including around 30% of infants and toddlers, according to the nonprofit Home Grown. Across the country almost all of these providers are women, and almost half are women of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In-home care is the most affordable option for most families, too — averaging around $300 a week for up to 11 or 12 hours a day, depending on the location and the age of children. The costs tend to be lower if you qualify for public subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of their size, these in home day cares have fewer licensing requirements. And industry experts said less staffing and overhead mean that women who run their own home-based day cares can make more money than they can in a standalone center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The long-term vision of our company is to get more people to actually start their own home day care,\" said Jessica Chang, CEO of WeeCare. WeeCare is a platform that works sort of like a Lyft for in-home day cares, making thousands of these businesses searchable and helping with overhead such as marketing and billing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chang and Chris Bennett of Wonderschool, a similar platform, both argue this is a model that is nimble enough potentially to scale up to meet the sudden demand for care for school-age children — if it had the right support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're getting a lot of interest from folks who want to start micro-schools, and a number of our providers are expanding, too,\" Bennett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gallegos qualified for a county subsidy to send his four daughters to Little Barstow WeeCare. He drops them off at 6:30 or 7 a.m. and picks them up in the evening. \"They love it. I drop them off, and sometimes they forget to say bye, they're running down the hallway to do whatever they want to do,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Jensen, the owner-operator, helped him get in touch with the principal at his older daughters' public school to make sure they would have computers to do their schoolwork. When school starts remotely Aug. 10, Jensen will oversee them while they study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I talked to a few other day cares, they said they had room and they could take them, but they weren't doing the school part — the academic part,\" Gallegos said. \"That was one of the most important parts to me.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natalie Renew directs Home Grown, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of in-home child care. She said many centers already take older kids after school, and she sees this sector stepping up to care for school-age children during the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're definitely hearing that there is demand, and providers are getting calls from parents as school districts release their plans for the fall,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even as demand is growing, supply is in danger of falling. Child care providers who lost head count and revenue during shutdowns are in danger of losing not only their businesses but their homes. Without a bailout, Renew said, \"It's really sort of looking over the edge of a cliff. Many, many providers are already starting to close.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health and safety is another key concern for in-home providers, as it is for anywhere people gather indoors during the pandemic. Renew said there isn't a lot of good evidence yet on just how safe these settings might be. But there are hopes that, \"given the small group size of home-based child care, that the threat of transmission may be lower there.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ani Angel Gharibian runs Busy Bee, another WeeCare, in Los Angeles. She serves many children of essential workers, and is investing in desks and other equipment to expand to take in more school-age kids during the day, as LA schools are coming back online-only. She said it's impossible to socially distance from infants, and she doesn't like making children wear masks all day, because, she said, it's bad for their language development and makes them \"timid.\" She and her employees are nervous, but she said, \"People are desperate for income at the moment. So even if they do have some reservations, priorities take over.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 3: \"Pandemic pod\" \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the options that's gotten the most attention is associated with families of greater means — variously known as a \"learning pod,\" or \"pandemic pod.\" Generally, this means getting together a group of a few children to share the cost of a tutor, typically hosted at families' homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ivan Kerbel is the founder of the Seattle area Facebook group for founders of what he calls \"pandemic-era nano-schools.\" He has two young children. Like so many parents, he said he's \"in this impossible pickle of child care, parenting and schooling while doing our ostensible jobs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerbel also wants his children to be able to play safely with other kids and to learn subjects such as math and science by cooking and gardening, not just on the computer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he started this group to find other families who were interested in doing the same. There are now over \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattle.micro.schools/\">4,000 members\u003c/a> in the Seattle area. Pandemic pod matchmaking groups such as these have sprung up quickly all over the country. And the critiques have come just as fast and furious. In Oakland, Calif., a group of 14 public school principals signed an \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gv0ZfYylWmvx6Q2mMKRJiDdAJiHx_wY_-FFmkP-FK8M/mobilebasic\">open letter \u003c/a>this week criticizing the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One aspect that particularly bothers critics is the idea of hiring teachers directly away from public schools who may be wary of the classroom this fall for safety reasons. Melinda Anderson, a journalist covering education and equity, calls the practice \"pandemic-driven opportunity hoarding.\" \"Opportunity hoarding\" is a sociological concept that basically means a group in power is grabbing up resources and excluding a less powerful group. Anderson said, \"Parents forming pandemic pods and micro-schools did not create school inequalities, but they're certainly exacerbating inequalities by seeking out options unavailable to everyone.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some critics have gone further. \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/22/huge-problem-with-education-pandemic-pods-suddenly-popping-up/\">A Washington Post column \u003c/a>compared the practice to that of white families a half-century ago seceding from the public school system and forming \"segregation academies\" in resistance to \u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter, the dean of the Graduate School of Education at Berkeley, doesn't see things in quite those terms. \"Is this like post-\u003cem>Brown\u003c/em>? I don't think so. I think the country's consciousness is at a different level.\" Casting these issues in terms of race and class leaves out affluent, educated parents of color such as herself, she said, and \"there is a presumption that working-class and poor parents don't want these pods themselves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter happens to be thinking about forming a learning pod, not only to get more time to write, but also because her son is lonely. \"My child is crying, as an only child, saying, 'I miss my friends.' \" At the same time, as a scholar, she said she's \" thinking about how to minimize the impact of privilege on children's learning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, Carter said it's important that pandemic pods be as temporary and informal as possible, and that families keep their spot in public schools, if possible, using the remote learning offered by the district, so that schools can hold on to the funding. She doesn't like the idea of parents going fully out on their own — leasing spaces and forming more permanent micro-schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am not interested in the privatization of public education and this becoming an alternative.\" She also suggests that parents of means not push their children too hard academically this year. Everyone will have catching up to do when in-person schooling resumes, and age-based standards, she said, are arbitrary anyway. \"I don't know about you, but when I was a little girl, I wasn't reading by the end of kindergarten.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One idea that's popped up to address equity concerns is to have each pod include a sliding scale or scholarship spot. Kerbel said he's trying to institute a rule in his Seattle group: \"If you have a group of four kids, the fourth kid is free, if you have a group of five kids, the fifth kid is free.\" For example, Kerbel said that he's planning to set up ukulele lessons for his 5-year-old. He is in touch with a local refugee resettlement agency to see if a Somali refugee child is able to join.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter cautions that pods that include a \"diversity\" slot also have to work hard to be inclusive. \"What are you going to do socially and culturally to make sure that that child feels deeply included?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerbel has personal experience with this. He said when he emigrated from Eastern Europe as a child, barely speaking English, a classmate was assigned to be his friend. He remembers feeling grateful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that he feels that children are going to learn not only math or music right now but also directly from the choices we make: \"How did their parents respond to the pandemic? Did they widen their social circle? Did they broaden their horizons? Or did they just sort of hunker down and, you know, shut the rest of the world out?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter sees the pandemic magnifying all kinds of inequities, but in some ways it's also putting many different kinds of families in the same boat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We don't have leadership. Resources are so minimal. And so people are trying to use their innovation to just make things work so that they can actually continue to support the families.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=What+Are+Parents+Doing+For+Child+Care%3F+Here+Are+3+Options+%28With+Trade-Offs%29+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Kirk Gallegos is a single father of four. He works construction in Barstow, Calif. Prudence Carter is a single mother of one. She's the dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both share the same problem with tens of millions of other parents around the country: Their public schools aren't operating full time in-person this fall. And the rest of the child care system, which had been stretched even before the pandemic, is itself under pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The child care sector consists for the most part of small businesses and nonprofits supported by a patchwork of public subsidies. Centers and in-home day cares are mostly owned and operated by women, disproportionately women of color, many of whom live at poverty wages. Child care centers and after-school programs have lost income during shutdowns and because of state and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cccnewyork.org/blog/state-fy-21-executive-budget-would-exacerbate-needs-of-nycs-children-families/\">local budget cuts\u003c/a>, and many have been forced to close for safety reasons. Republicans \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/republicans-15-billion-bailout-of-child-care-industry-falls-short.html\">have proposed $15 billion\u003c/a> for the child care sector in the latest coronavirus aid package; Democrats are seeking \u003ca href=\"https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-smith-warren-childcare-bailout-coronavirus-relief-package\">more than three times \u003c/a>that amount.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the interim, families are being left to improvise. They're having to consider not only their children's safety but also their academic progress and their well-being after months of isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think parents are just trying to do what they have to do to survive in this moment,\" sums up Carter, who is a scholar of inequality in education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents have a few options, but none of them come without trade-offs, and they aren't available to all families equally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 1: Step back from the workforce \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first resort for parents, and particularly mothers, is working less to take care of their own children. We're in an employment crisis anyway, but caregiving responsibilities are keeping some parents from even looking for work. A recent survey from the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 55% of Hispanic and 44% of Black parents on unemployment insurance were not planning to or did not accept an offer to return to work due to caregiving needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gallegos, the construction worker, until recently had to juggle job hunting with taking care of his girls, who range in age from 1 to 10. \"I would take them with me [on interviews] or [search] online. I didn't want to use the day care unless I really, really, really needed to.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who have the relative privilege to work from home, there is a subtler toll on productivity and well-being, particularly for mothers. Many are splitting their schedules, getting up early and staying up late to work while children sleep. Carter cites\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01294-9\"> an analysis \u003c/a> from her own field of higher education, suggesting that across disciplines, male scholars are producing relatively more work than their female counterparts, more so than before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as she's working to shift policies to make sure that her own faculty, staff and students who are caregivers aren't penalized for lagging research and publication under these conditions, Carter laments her own loss of \"concentrated time.\" \"It's really hard to write. I was hoping to get a new project off the ground this summer.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 2: In-home day cares\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For school-age children who don't have a family member to watch them for free,\u003ca href=\"https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/102621/meeting-the-school-age-child-care-needs-of-working-parents-facing-covid-19-distance-learning.pdf\"> organized group child care and after-school programs \u003c/a>are the most common option, according to a recent policy analysis by the Urban Institute. But the pandemic has shut many of those as well, because the group sizes are too large for social distancing and cohorting, or because they've lost access to public school buildings, or both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves the next most popular option: in-home day cares. Pre-pandemic, these small neighborhood businesses took care of 7 million children, including around 30% of infants and toddlers, according to the nonprofit Home Grown. Across the country almost all of these providers are women, and almost half are women of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In-home care is the most affordable option for most families, too — averaging around $300 a week for up to 11 or 12 hours a day, depending on the location and the age of children. The costs tend to be lower if you qualify for public subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of their size, these in home day cares have fewer licensing requirements. And industry experts said less staffing and overhead mean that women who run their own home-based day cares can make more money than they can in a standalone center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The long-term vision of our company is to get more people to actually start their own home day care,\" said Jessica Chang, CEO of WeeCare. WeeCare is a platform that works sort of like a Lyft for in-home day cares, making thousands of these businesses searchable and helping with overhead such as marketing and billing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chang and Chris Bennett of Wonderschool, a similar platform, both argue this is a model that is nimble enough potentially to scale up to meet the sudden demand for care for school-age children — if it had the right support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're getting a lot of interest from folks who want to start micro-schools, and a number of our providers are expanding, too,\" Bennett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gallegos qualified for a county subsidy to send his four daughters to Little Barstow WeeCare. He drops them off at 6:30 or 7 a.m. and picks them up in the evening. \"They love it. I drop them off, and sometimes they forget to say bye, they're running down the hallway to do whatever they want to do,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Jensen, the owner-operator, helped him get in touch with the principal at his older daughters' public school to make sure they would have computers to do their schoolwork. When school starts remotely Aug. 10, Jensen will oversee them while they study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I talked to a few other day cares, they said they had room and they could take them, but they weren't doing the school part — the academic part,\" Gallegos said. \"That was one of the most important parts to me.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natalie Renew directs Home Grown, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of in-home child care. She said many centers already take older kids after school, and she sees this sector stepping up to care for school-age children during the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're definitely hearing that there is demand, and providers are getting calls from parents as school districts release their plans for the fall,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even as demand is growing, supply is in danger of falling. Child care providers who lost head count and revenue during shutdowns are in danger of losing not only their businesses but their homes. Without a bailout, Renew said, \"It's really sort of looking over the edge of a cliff. Many, many providers are already starting to close.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health and safety is another key concern for in-home providers, as it is for anywhere people gather indoors during the pandemic. Renew said there isn't a lot of good evidence yet on just how safe these settings might be. But there are hopes that, \"given the small group size of home-based child care, that the threat of transmission may be lower there.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ani Angel Gharibian runs Busy Bee, another WeeCare, in Los Angeles. She serves many children of essential workers, and is investing in desks and other equipment to expand to take in more school-age kids during the day, as LA schools are coming back online-only. She said it's impossible to socially distance from infants, and she doesn't like making children wear masks all day, because, she said, it's bad for their language development and makes them \"timid.\" She and her employees are nervous, but she said, \"People are desperate for income at the moment. So even if they do have some reservations, priorities take over.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Option 3: \"Pandemic pod\" \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the options that's gotten the most attention is associated with families of greater means — variously known as a \"learning pod,\" or \"pandemic pod.\" Generally, this means getting together a group of a few children to share the cost of a tutor, typically hosted at families' homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ivan Kerbel is the founder of the Seattle area Facebook group for founders of what he calls \"pandemic-era nano-schools.\" He has two young children. Like so many parents, he said he's \"in this impossible pickle of child care, parenting and schooling while doing our ostensible jobs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerbel also wants his children to be able to play safely with other kids and to learn subjects such as math and science by cooking and gardening, not just on the computer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he started this group to find other families who were interested in doing the same. There are now over \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattle.micro.schools/\">4,000 members\u003c/a> in the Seattle area. Pandemic pod matchmaking groups such as these have sprung up quickly all over the country. And the critiques have come just as fast and furious. In Oakland, Calif., a group of 14 public school principals signed an \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gv0ZfYylWmvx6Q2mMKRJiDdAJiHx_wY_-FFmkP-FK8M/mobilebasic\">open letter \u003c/a>this week criticizing the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One aspect that particularly bothers critics is the idea of hiring teachers directly away from public schools who may be wary of the classroom this fall for safety reasons. Melinda Anderson, a journalist covering education and equity, calls the practice \"pandemic-driven opportunity hoarding.\" \"Opportunity hoarding\" is a sociological concept that basically means a group in power is grabbing up resources and excluding a less powerful group. Anderson said, \"Parents forming pandemic pods and micro-schools did not create school inequalities, but they're certainly exacerbating inequalities by seeking out options unavailable to everyone.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some critics have gone further. \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/22/huge-problem-with-education-pandemic-pods-suddenly-popping-up/\">A Washington Post column \u003c/a>compared the practice to that of white families a half-century ago seceding from the public school system and forming \"segregation academies\" in resistance to \u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter, the dean of the Graduate School of Education at Berkeley, doesn't see things in quite those terms. \"Is this like post-\u003cem>Brown\u003c/em>? I don't think so. I think the country's consciousness is at a different level.\" Casting these issues in terms of race and class leaves out affluent, educated parents of color such as herself, she said, and \"there is a presumption that working-class and poor parents don't want these pods themselves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter happens to be thinking about forming a learning pod, not only to get more time to write, but also because her son is lonely. \"My child is crying, as an only child, saying, 'I miss my friends.' \" At the same time, as a scholar, she said she's \" thinking about how to minimize the impact of privilege on children's learning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, Carter said it's important that pandemic pods be as temporary and informal as possible, and that families keep their spot in public schools, if possible, using the remote learning offered by the district, so that schools can hold on to the funding. She doesn't like the idea of parents going fully out on their own — leasing spaces and forming more permanent micro-schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am not interested in the privatization of public education and this becoming an alternative.\" She also suggests that parents of means not push their children too hard academically this year. Everyone will have catching up to do when in-person schooling resumes, and age-based standards, she said, are arbitrary anyway. \"I don't know about you, but when I was a little girl, I wasn't reading by the end of kindergarten.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One idea that's popped up to address equity concerns is to have each pod include a sliding scale or scholarship spot. Kerbel said he's trying to institute a rule in his Seattle group: \"If you have a group of four kids, the fourth kid is free, if you have a group of five kids, the fifth kid is free.\" For example, Kerbel said that he's planning to set up ukulele lessons for his 5-year-old. He is in touch with a local refugee resettlement agency to see if a Somali refugee child is able to join.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter cautions that pods that include a \"diversity\" slot also have to work hard to be inclusive. \"What are you going to do socially and culturally to make sure that that child feels deeply included?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerbel has personal experience with this. He said when he emigrated from Eastern Europe as a child, barely speaking English, a classmate was assigned to be his friend. He remembers feeling grateful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that he feels that children are going to learn not only math or music right now but also directly from the choices we make: \"How did their parents respond to the pandemic? Did they widen their social circle? Did they broaden their horizons? Or did they just sort of hunker down and, you know, shut the rest of the world out?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter sees the pandemic magnifying all kinds of inequities, but in some ways it's also putting many different kinds of families in the same boat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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