What. A. Week. We haven’t yet made it to Wednesday yet… however, that’s the only way I can think to even begin this blog post!
If you’re like me, you are a teacher in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak trying to navigate the impact on schools, instruction, and education. Our states have been mandated to enforce a “soft closure” of all schools. For our district, this meant closing schools to our students (aside from those who can pick up breakfast/lunch) for at least the next two weeks.
This came as a very sudden announcement and left all of us scrambling to understand what a soft closure even entails and what instruction was going to look like for the next few weeks.
Ultimately, when all of this craziness started to happen, my mind instantly went to my students. Are those who are dependent on school lunches able to still get them? How do we effectively provide instruction and support to all of our students? How do we make sure we reach all of them? Then my thoughts wandered to my fellow colleagues. What is this closure going to look like for teachers? What happens to our non-certified support staff?
Fortunately, after tons of e-mails and tons of meetings (while still maintaining social distancing), we were able to get some clarity on the soft closure. The gist of it all is that teachers are expected to provide instruction to our students via technology for the next two weeks – and the best part is we had two days to make it happen! This was very overwhelming at first. Especially in my setting where so much of my instruction is individualized, targeted very small group and one on one instruction with students.
After burning the midnight oil over the weekend, and essentially working non-stop for the last 48 hours – I finally completed instruction folders for all my resource students. These folders included physical copies of everything they need for the next 2 weeks – all things we’ve been working on this last month (hopefully still fresh in their little brains).
I included a flexible example schedule of how to implement the materials for my younger grade students (k-3) and a more concrete schedule for my upper grade (4-6) students. In addition, there are detailed instructions that accompany the folders with all the information parents and students need to know in order to be successful.
Something else I’ve done is I’ve created a new Google voice number that my parents can reach me at (so you don’t have to give out your cell phone). I sent the phone number to my parents and let them know they can text or call me with any questions.
As overwhelming as this process has been, I think the key takeaway for me has been flexibility and acknowledging that I’ve done everything I can to help my students continue to progress and meet their goals. I’m also thankful that I work with kick-butt teachers and administrators who are all working together as we navigate down this uncharted territory.
Overall, I’m glad to have everything distributed to my general education teachers and ready for pick up by parents tomorrow. This is a brand new adventure!
How are your students being impacted by the closures? Are your schools administering instruction digitally or making up days? Drop me the comments below!
