As many throughout the education world have reacted and processed the events of the last couple of months, it’s left us with a refresh at the top of our institution of education. Next week, a new administration will begin serving and this includes a new Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, replacing Besty DeVos. Here is some of what we know so far.
You really do not realize just how small classrooms actually are until you try to successfully place 25 students within them and keep every single one of them six feet from each other. This has even led some teachers to suggest limiting class sizes, which might sound promising in theory since there are definitely some children who have opted to stay home.
What about those students who will still be doing remote learning at the start of the school year? They’ll have social-emotional needs, too. Establishing connections between these students and their new teachers is going to be important for ensuring success throughout the school year, but it’s probably going to be tougher as well.
When schools first started to shut down, we saw how STEM and MakerEd really began to take a back seat in favor of more traditional educational requirements as teachers tried to find a rhythm in remote learning. At the same time, however, we—and plenty of others—knew just how important and beneficial STEM learning could be.
We’re starting to learn more about the plans in the country’s largest school districts, which include remote learning, hybrid reopenings, and an attempt at full in-person education. But, there are still those educators who feel like it remains too unsafe to fully return to normal and probably plenty of others who aren’t completely comfortable with going back part-time either.
Reopening our school buildings will likely involve one of three action plans: in-person learning, hybrid learning, and remote learning. Once schools first physically closed doors in March, we did not think that things would still be in such a state of uncertainty come August, but the reality is that almost all school leaders are preparing for a back-to-school season unlike any other.
As we continue to make new guesses as to what education could look like come fall, it’s looking more and more likely that hybrid learning will be a big part of it. Despite calls from some of our nation’s top leaders for children to return to school as coronavirus cases continue to build, it definitely doesn’t seem like a risk that everyone is willing to take at this point in time.
State officials and education leaders are starting to announce their plans for reopening schools in the fall. While we know that students and teachers returning to the physical classroom is ideal, there are plenty of opponents to this course of action who think it will be unsafe. There are so many things for school leaders to consider as plans remain in limbo.
We’re putting together this running collection of remote learning resources for educators to explore during school closures caused by the coronavirus. We will make updates to this page regularly as new resources are provided from reputable education providers and we wish everybody lots of success in remote teaching and learning. You’ve got this!
In my case, my classroom is the largest one in the school. It has anchor charts, word walls, posters—you name it! However, instead of doing a writing assignment, my students practice essential skills necessary to lifelong health. And, just because learning has largely moved online, it does not mean their physical education can stop.
