Teaching through a pandemic

This is part three in a four part series looking at how Wimberley ISD is handling COVID-19. Previously, the Wimberley View spoke with administrators and principals. This week, the focus is on the perspective of teachers. Please note that some of the statistics used in this article may be a week old due to the timing of interviews.

The schools would be nothing without teachers. For a lot of parents, still fresh in their minds, they remember all too clearly what it’s like to try and try to get the children to focus, let alone teach them from home. That’s why teachers are professionals and should be respected as such.

The entire nation is putting a lot of responsibility on educators, along with teachers’ health and the stress that goes along with being “just a teacher.” There are deadlinesto meet, progress reports and school business, accountability measures from the state. You know, the normal stuff teachers deal with, but now there are all the new jobs that go along with teaching through the pandemic.

After COVID-19, students have been classified according to their new method of educational instruction. Marshall McLuhan, a 1960s media philosopher, said, “the medium is the message,” and that is, how does the recipient, or in this case the student, receive the message?

This classification is a major point for student instruction. How do they receive the educational mes sage? First, Synchronous, which can be two ways, live, or live via Google Classroom or similar Internet technology transmitting information immediately. Questions can be asked and answered instantly face-to-face in class or at home use through technology. This essentially includes standard in class education and following along with the class live online.

There is also asynchronous, which is recorded viewing available at different times. Questions via email, and receiving the answer later is one way. Students without internet access can receive instruction from paper packets that are picked up and then dropped off when completed. Asynchronous learning is supposed to be the same lesson, but it is not received by the student live.

At the high school, Caleb Hall is head of the Math Department. He has that unique teacher quality of enthusiasm. “The fact is that teaching, you build a relationship with the kids… the kids need to interact face-to-face. They need that interaction. It’s hard to track down those who are struggling. The asynchronous, you don’t see,” Hall continued. Hall has no paper packet students.

“Kids are stressed. They do it to themselves. They’re asked to do what a professional does… Kids need reinforcement. A relationship does that.” But for those students that are learning asynchronous, that’s next to impossible.

But one thing that has been learned is that there are those students who excel under any circumstances. Those who are self-motivated and organized, and that is true for those learners under all three options, face-to-face, live via internet, and those who receive the lesson later, recorded or on paper.

“You can’t tell kids that you are wrong for staying home. Kids are regularly using and are engaged with the internet. It mirrors a homeschool situation. Kids that are able to do that are successful, and able to make it anywhere…. (But) for some it’s a good day when the internet works, bad if there’s no internet.”

Hall uses his laptop that follows him when he is at the board working a math problem, his phone and a computer for his lessons, all at the same time. If a student is at home, that student is asked to wave and is included in lessons, the next best thing to being face to face.

At Danforth Junior High School, Elizabeth Edelen teaches History and is the UIL Social Studies coach at the school. About 75% of her students are faceto-face, 15% synchronous on Google meet, and 10% asynchronous. The beginning of the year was different from the past and was challenging.

“It was rocky at first with the technology, remembering to turn on Google and record, but then it gets to be routine, and all of it flows,” Edelen said. She has no students who get lessons by paper packet.

“The kids are good. I thought it would be more of a problem. (Tell them to) put on your masks and they do,” Edelen continued. “There’s a lot of empty seats separating the students… always put on a mask, don’t share supplies, always sanitize before the next student. During the transition (to the next class), straight to class.” Rules that are being well followed, always a good thing in any classroom, no matter when. “The custodians are doing an amazing job. They sanitize every thing, they sanitize the door handles, halls, and I’m very impressed.”

Students received Chromebooks and that solved a lot of problems. There were still a few common problems, such as the “Wi-Fi doesn’t work, or especially at first, the usual logging on problems and not being able to find assignments… The majority (of communication) is by email, keeping them motivated by constant contact with the parents.”

But on the whole, “It’s been easier than expected. The kids are great, they struggle between online and class. But the kids are great, everybody is gracious and understanding.”

Without realizing what would lie in the future, the technology equipment was in place before the pandemic. “The desks, big screen TV, all this new technology, it was all planned before the pandemic. We love it out here,” Edelen said.

At Jacob’s Well Elementary, third grade through fifth, school is open and Wimberley High School graduate Jamie Thibodeaux teaches fifth grade. Although it has been challenging. “First, we have to make connections with the kids. Let’s figure this out,” she said. Although third grade does not have to wear masks, most do.

“In the cafeteria, students have a pink spot, an area they go to eat that’s spaced out. When the kids are done eating they go outside for an extra recess, which gives you time to disinfect for the next class. The kids love it. With the extra recess teachers have time to deal with the classroom. It is not as chaotic.” A normal school day has always been chaotic, now it is amplified.

“How have the kids done? They’ve done well… masks or shields most of the time… I’m so proud of the district and teachers, doing things they never did. Yeah, we’re back in school in numbers. The kids are happy; it’s good for the kids to be with kids. They’re not bothered (by the situation). I’m really proud.” She continued.

“Our custodians are keeping our numbers down, with their efforts… Mostly it’s good to be back with my babies,” Thibodeaux said.

The new school, Blue Hole Elementary, is in its first year. Wendi Norton teaches first grade. “The students are loving the new building and are doing well in class. They are glad to be back at school and behaving,”she said.

Being in the first grade a pandemic is a hard concept to understand, especially with your peers. Being young, it’s a hard thing not to touch other kids. But the seriousness breaks through.

“We are noticing children making better decisions about not touching each other. When we ask them to separate, they are doing that. However our students are aged three to eight years old and need to be reminded regularly. Children are eager to play with their peers and benefit greatly from social interaction,” Norton said.

Before school started tables were marked off for social distancing, lunch monitors wear protective gloves and face coverings making sure social distancing is being followed.

“Students wash their hands before and after lunch. Students go to lunch with their class and are sitting three to a table, spread out and all facing the same direction. Pre-Kindergarten students eat in their classrooms. All students have 30 minutes for lunch,” she said.

As for learning, technology is not used. Learning is face-to-face or paper packets. “There are 468 students attending school in person, and 126 attending asynchronously… We have two teachers and twenty-plus students coming back to in person learning on October 19. We have had a steady trickle back to in classroom learning, as it is the best way for students of this age to receive instruction.”

All four schools encourage students to learn in the traditional face-to-face way, but in these times of pandemic, what is best for the child is decided by the parents.

The schools each have multiple solutions in getting instruction to the kids and are making the best of a difficult time. Social distancing and mask wearing are the norm and are being followed, keeping the teachers and students as safe as possible and keeping the COVID-19 numbers as low as possible.

As of of October 18, there has been 13 cases of COVID-19 is people associated with WISD. Of those, five are considered active. Six cases have been from the student population while seven cases have been from staff.