With the Pa. Department of Education closing all public schools statewide through at least the end of April, BASD shifted to online learning March 30. Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy’s message to parents, posted on the district’s website March 24, is that “in terms of detailed content, less is more,” but that “in terms of positively engaging and connecting with students, more is better.” District teachers and principals have been connecting in new and often light-hearted ways, with the social and emotional benefits accruing to both faculty and students.

Middle and high school students already have one Chromebook per student. Although Chromebooks were not distributed on a one-to-one, take-home basis to elementary students, children in grades kindergarten through five use Chromebooks daily in their classes. Families without computers at home have been encouraged to pick up one of these laptops to borrow for the duration of the online learning period. Local cable providers RCN and Service Electric are providing free or low-cost internet access and connectivity devices to all families that qualify, and the BASD information services department is providing tech support to get families online and able to access educational materials. Paper learning packets are available as well, at the grab-and-go free breakfast and lunch distribution points across the district.

‘Must do’/‘May do’

Learning packets on the district’s website provide “must do” and “may do” activities for literacy and math. One week’s worth of material is included in each packet, and teachers are uploading one week’s worth of video lessons at a time. Examples of first-grade “must do” literacy activities are reading high-frequency and new vocabulary words associated with a story, and writing new sentences for all the words. “Must do” math assignments for fourth grade include putting decimals in order from least to greatest and creating line graphs to depict a set of temperature data.

Social, emotional

connections

It becomes clear, however, from just a few minutes of conversation with elementary school principals and teachers that providing coursework to students is only part of the job. Clearview ES Principal Heather Bennett-Knerr explains, “It is really important that we are connecting with our students. Everyone misses the kids so much.”

Bennett-Knerr is one of many BASD faculty who have taken advantage of social media to maintain relationships with students. She and her son, Zeke, have been hosting a daily morning show that her students can view via the ClassDojo app.

Brad Drey, an active Twitter poster (@FtHillDrey) and fifth-grade teacher at Fountain Hill ES, points to many different social media avenues being explored.

“Teachers are doing amazing things […] Live Zooming, posting videos on Twitter, letting students respond,” he says. “We use Google Classroom, and there’s a chat feature where students are not only getting their assignments, but they can also post comments and talk to each other.” It’s not just math and reading teachers making sure the distance is only physical, and not truly social: “Related arts teachers [like Rachel Lynn @MrsLynnsArtRoom] are sharing lessons, communicating on ClassDojo, and posting on Twitter.”

Garrett Podhyski, who was a special education teacher at East Hill MS for most of this school year and is currently dean of students at Fountain Hill ES, came up with another idea that has helped both teachers and students stay sane while under government-mandated quarantine. Podhyski saw a video online of a sitcom parody, and worked with Drey and the other Fountain Hill teachers to create three mock-sitcoms of their own. Podhyski’s students are enjoying watching his colleagues recreate 1990s classics “Family Matters,” “Full House” and “Saved by the Bell.”

The benefits of both the sustained education and the light-hearted moments go both ways: Students understand their teachers, and feel understood, in ways they may never have imagined, and teachers are buoyed by their connections with their students and with each other.

Bennett-Knerr describes what motivated her to produce the morning show.

“I was doing them from my house, and my son and our dog were in them.” She says. “I was trying to show the kids that I’m living the same life they’re living – to make those connections. I think they all felt like they were in their own world, and might not have realized that their teachers and principal were at home, too.” And the interactions aren’t just online: “I’ve been going to Calypso and doing their [grab-and-go] food site; one day, I did my video from Calypso.”

Students are getting into the act, too. Donegan ES Principal Erin Martin-Medina (@ErinMartinMedi1) recently shared a video of fifth-grade student Nasir, who is still doing the daily morning announcements. “Thank you for remaining committed to starting our day with a Donegan #shinebright moment,” Martin-Medina tweeted.

“It’s important for us to see and hear each other,” Drey says. “I’ve gotten so many texts from colleagues about how much we’ve missed each other, and how great it is to see each other on video.”

Fountain Hill Principal Courtney Wertman-Stambaugh concurs.

“It’s really challenging not to see our kids and our families every day, [but] this is an amazing group,” she says. “We continue to utilize each other’s strengths and be there for one another. However we can continue to work together and support one another – that’s what it’s all about.”