By KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT
Rutherford County Schools
There has been a lot of changes in the 38 years Bruce Haley has been teaching agriculture at Eagleville School.
One change heâs been slow to make is switching out his original, old school chalkboard for a modern dry erase whiteboard, but, that said, he wonât be denied when it comes to the challenge of learning how to use Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing.
âThings I never thought I would do in my lifetime,â said Haley, who added, âIâm not backing away from any challenges.â
The challenge this time, of course, is districtwide as educators, students and parents face a school year unlike any other as it continues to deal with the fallout of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. In July, the school board voted to open schools and follow strict protocols regarding social distancing and the wearing of masks, while also allowing parents and students to choose distance learning.
âWeâve overcome challenges before,â said Haley, who recalled the time Eagleville sustained extensive damage from a fire in June 1994 that left students, teachers and administrators âscattered in portablesâ for the entire 1994â95 school year. âBut we made it through it and weâll make it through this.
He added, âIâm always up for a good challenge.â
Several veteran educators â Mary Patterson, Grace Day, Angeline Gaddy, Sandy Stutts and Haley â share their insights regarding the school year ahead.
Patterson, who teaches third grade at Rockvale Elementary, prepared for the fall start to school by taking every professional development course related to distance learning.
She watched instructional videos like the ones offered by Pocketful of Primary and followed the Bitmoji Craze for Educators on Facebook.
âItâs a new world,â Patterson said, âand itâs exciting to be in it.â
Grace Day agreed.
âIt is like starting over again,â said Day, who teaches third grade at Rock Springs Elementary. âI have a whole new learning curve with the tech things, all things technology.â
Some of these changes could impact traditional classrooms even after distance-learners return to the traditional classroom.
âIf we do not come out of this having changed how we teach, then we missed it,â said Stutts, a math teacher at Smyrna High.
For instance, Gaddy, who in her 29th year of teaching math, has had past experience with online instruction. She earned an Education Specialist degree in Technology and Curricular Design, which focused on delivering online curriculum.
âIâm not new to distance learning,â said Gaddy, who earned an undergraduate degree in computer science, âbut itâs very different when it is math and when it is high school students.â
The challenge online, according to Gaddy, is to keep students engaged when all they hear is a voice.
âI will be able to make connections so much better with the students that are in my classroom because there are so few of them,â Gaddy said, âbut Iâm going to have to work extra hard to connect with those distance learners.â
Haley agreed.
âIâm a visual learner and teacher,â Haley said, âbecause I like my students right here with me. âĤ I could look at them when they walked in the door that morning and I could look at their eyes and I could look at the expression on their face and I could tell whatâs been going on or whatâs not been going on. I knew that maybe they needed to talk to me about something and Iâd listen to them. Itâs hard to do that when theyâre away and theyâre not looking at you. If you put a PowerPoint out there for them to look at, at home, you donât have that one-on-one relationship.â
Together, teachers are figuring out what is best for the students.
In the meantime, Haley is thankful for the grace and mercy heâs received.
Prior to the first day, teachers at Rockvale Elementary practiced Zooming with each other and even went so far as to take turns hosting sessions so everyone could learn how to navigate the platform.
âThe camaraderie among our faculty is heartwarming,â Patterson said. âHelping each other succeed in this new venture is a priority.â
It was the same for Day and her colleagues at Rock Springs Elementary.
She and her fellow third grade teachers got together and planned what virtual learning would look like for all third-graders at school. They wanted continuity from one virtual classroom to another. Two weeks in, at the end of each day, they still meet to discuss what worked and what did not work and, more importantly, what and how they can improve upon tomorrowâs lesson.
Much like their students, teachers are learning too.
And sometimes they are not learning from one another so much as theyâre learning from students and parents.
âA couple of these young parents with lots of Zoom experience have even sent me private chat to direct me to the specific toolbar spot I was looking for,â said Patterson, whose heard similar stories from teachers throughout the district. âAt 65, I am grateful when (parents) share their expertise.â
Patterson is thankful for the technology to connect with students who are at home.
And, truth be told, those students âare ecstatic to be with other kids.â
âAt the end of a session, I always bring everyone into âThe Brady Bunchâ style window to wrap up the lesson,â explained Patterson, referencing the famed opening sequence to the ABC sitcom of the early 1970s.
However, their daily goodbyes are more representative of âThe Waltonsâ goodnight scenes during the nine seasons the weekly drama ran on CBS.
âMy little oneâs wave goodbye from their Zoom boxes and say, âSee you tomorrow.â Itâs so sweet that theyâre able to establish connections with other students this way,â Patterson concluded. âSocialization is so important at any age but especially for 8-year-olds.â
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