The settings may be different. How lessons are shared and how help is available are certainly not the same, but Warren County teachers and staff are there for both the students and parents.
Schools are now closed through April 24 and it has been an adjustment for everyone involved.
Warren County High School AP government and civics teacher Kevin Dunlap stated, “Planning takes on a new dimension with not being able to see your students in the classroom and communicating through electronic means. Students receive lessons via Google Classroom and other electronic means.”
Dunlap said the School Board and County Commission appropriated funds for students to have a laptop computer, in this case a Google Chromebook. Now all students in grades 8-12 have one.
“My students are using their textbooks and documents via the internet along with the platform of Google classroom. It allows you to send power points (slides) and documents to your students along with other attachments to benefit the student’s understanding and learning,” said Dunlap.
He added, “I keep in touch with students through email, the Remind app, and students are able to message me through my cellphone by text. We are also working to use Zoom and Loom and other platforms in order to communicate more directly with students. Google Classroom allows you to grade student work and give private comments to the students concerning feedback from their assignments and tests. It’s more of a challenge but we are making the best of the circumstances we are facing.”
Dunlap said students and teachers are no longer in the same room during instruction, but teachers still have a heart for their students and are dedicated to helping them learn.
Lara Kate Miller, a second-grade teacher at Hickory Creek Elementary, said lesson planning has been totally different as teachers work to deliver instruction.
“We are trying to continue with the same type of work we have in class so that the change is not big for our students,” said Miller. “Our kids were used to doing a few online programs, so we have continued with those and added a few more. We are using Google Classroom to communicate and add assignments. The parents are really getting the hang of it and I think it is very user friendly.”
Miller added that seeing when a student completes one task and moves on to the next is great. She will then create quizzes and add links to videos.
Miller is emailing, calling and using the Remind app to communicate with parents of students. The Zoom app is also being utilized to meet with other teachers and principal Mike Mansfield. Zoom allows calling or using video with a group of people. Staying in touch with fellow teachers has been essential since they are helping each other during this time.
“Thankfully, our school system expected us to be out longer than Spring Break so we got to send home textbooks and workbooks to prepare. These students who do not have internet are still able to continue working on the same types of things the others are,” said Miller. “Never in a million years when I started teaching did I think it would come to this, but it has and we are going to make the best of it! I love my job.”
Kevin Dunlap summed up this experience by saying, “I believe we are blessed in our small town to have extraordinary leadership in our county and schools. Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were faced with challenging times in our nation’s history and they rose to the occasion. We can do the same, this is a challenge for our generation and how well we practice our civic duties will determine how great we come out from this on the other side. If we use our education and knowledge as we listen to the experts and follow the best practices from our government leaders we will avert the worst outcomes from this pandemic.”
