Part 1 of 2
The teaching staff of the Eagle Grove school district are nothing short of remarkable. When the year began last fall, there was no way anyone could have envisioned an ending like this. They had no game plan in place for how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the schools. There were no drills they could do to practice a plan even if they had one, and no handbook available on what to do if this happens. And yet, they have found creative, unique and fun ways to keep the students engaged and learning. Make no mistake, it’s not the same as being in a classroom, but they are certainly making the best of a truly bad situation.
High School Social Studies teacher Jerry Becker also teaches two classes for Iowa Central, which also factors in. “I have had to continue our regular class procedure, but do it online,” stated Becker. “It has been a great deal of work for both my students and myself, but for the most part the students have been great and we will get it (his coursework) finished.”
He admits the situation came so suddenly that it brought immediate challenges. “There was no time to prepare,” he said. “One day we were in class and the next day we’re not. I simply had to present an overall plan for the department head at the college, and once he gave the go-ahead we went to work.” Even so, Becker.
feels this solution is just not the same. “It is MUCH more difficult in an academic social studies course, since there is not the opportunity for class discussion,” he said. “It is limited more to just factual knowledge and that takes much of the enjoyment out of the class work.”
He also wants parents to know that, now more than ever, the teachers all need parental input and supervision. “When I have the students in the classroom, I can monitor progress and keep them on task,” said Becker. “Now, they are strictly on their own and must be adult enough to see the importance of getting the work done on time and in a proper manner. For the students in my classes, it is perhaps good training since it is much more like a college situation.”
Carrie Christopher teaches 7th & 8th Reading, and said she misses her students so much. “The students and I, along with Mr. Jeske, met on Google Meets recently,” stated Christopher. “We discussed how we could help our students to educationally maintain their academic levels along with making sure they know that we are here in any way for them. This is not just academically but emotionally too! As a middle school, we thought we could utilize the Chromebooks each of them has to provide educational opportunities through Google Classroom and them meet online to reach out to students that have questions or just need a friendly face to talk with!”
She went on to explain that they designed interdisciplinary units that students would work through over the rest of the school year. “Currently I know that 6th grade is working on Earth Awareness, 7th grade is learning about the American Revolution and 8th grade is working on their end of year showcase about themselves,” she said. “Each day, students are assigned an activity or two to complete which should take them around an hour.” Christopher indicated there is a definite learning curve with online classes. “Some teachers are not as tech savvy,” she said. “We have had to learn new programs to provide the ability to see and talk with our students.” Christopher said they will also continue PD (Professional Development) days to help teachers learn how to provide teaching online, just in case it’s still needed in the fall. “The number of students still without access is a concern,” added Christopher.
A lot of middle school teachers were already using Google Classroom, but they didn’t necessarily have the knowledge of utilizing Google Meets to meet with the kids. In that regard, IT director Lance Lennon has been most helpful on how to use those sites. “We decided as a staff that we didn’t know how to provide new learning to students because we didn’t know how many had internet, so we provided activities to help maintain their academic levels,” added Christopher. “We are doing everything we can to reach out to students and parents, and to remind them that it is important! We have narrowed our focus to just an hour a day so that students wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed and would be more apt to do it!” She concludes by letting parents know if they have any questions to not hesitate to reach out to their kid’s teachers. 7th and 8th are online Monday through Friday on Google Meets from 1-1:30.
RBMS Student Success Specialist Sarah Groth said they have created grade-like Google Classrooms to reach all the kids. “Every day, teachers are posting assignments that would help a student continue their learning,” stated Groth. “Then at 1 p.m. every afternoon, a teacher is available via a Google video to meet with students who have questions about the assignments or would just like to chat.” For students with no internet access, paper copies are made of the work and sent home.
Groth continues that online learning has definitely had its challenges on both the teacher and student side. “As teachers who are used to being face to face with our kids, we work to make our lessons interactive and engaging,” she said. “This isn’t always very easily accomplished over the computer. A wide variety of websites and apps have helped make online learning more engaging.” She also stated that learning at home can also create a different set of obstacles for the kids. “Some students are responsible for caring for younger siblings during, as their parents could be essential workers,” said Groth. “So not only are they responsible for their own learning, but they also have other responsibilities that wouldn’t be taking place in a classroom setting.”
One of the positives, according to Groth, is that the RBMS students are familiar with the Google Classroom program on their Chromebooks. “Because we knew that all students have those devices, grade-level teams all decided to utilize the program as a central platform for communicating with them,” she said. “We then met online to talk together in grade-like teams to decide how we could continue the students learning.” At a recent staff meeting, it was decided that the teachers would still like to utilize the PBIS incentives during this time. For all middle school students who complete and turn in at least 75 percent of their optional work, a goodie bag will be delivered to them at the end of May. “Additionally, students who complete that 75 percent of assignments will also be put in a drawing for an Amazon Fire Stick,” added Groth. “One will be given away per middle school grade level.”
As the mom of a kindergartner, she said that her and husband Jake are not planning on holding son Gavin back a year. “I fully believe that the teachers in our district will meet the kids where they are next fall, and we’ll all work together to make adjustments to start a new school year,” said Groth. “While I and Gavin are so disappointed that he doesn’t get to finish the year with Mrs. Osborn, I know that whoever his teacher is next year will be working hard to help all students to get to where they need to be!”
Groth then concludes with tips for parents to help the students while at home during this time. “As both a teacher trying to help kids online, and also a parent trying to continue learning for our kids at home, the biggest thing I would recommend (and remind myself to do) is that when things seem overwhelming that it’s okay to stop, take a breath and recollect ourselves,” said Groth. “The situation that we are going through together is something that is new and uncharted territory for a lot of us. We all need to continue to be there for one another. If that means changing up a lesson, or reaching out for help, it’s okay! There is no perfect way to approach this situation, and as long as we keep doing our best I am hopeful for a positive outcome.”
Fourth Grade teacher Jeanne Herrington said her kids are so excited to see each other again in the Google Meet virtual classroom. “Reaching out to the elementary students has been the most difficult part, because it has required parent communication and feedback,” stated Herrington. “As soon as we knew we were closing, each teacher has been using a different means of communicating to parents. Fourth grade uses ClassDojo, and other grades use the same, or ClassTag or Remind. We are all very grateful for these means to reach out to them because it’s outside of our personal cell numbers and Facebook. Almost every teacher has their own class Facebook page, which gives parents a second way to see updates, etc.”
Recently the district hand delivered a second packet or work to all elementary students, along with Chromebooks to students in Second to Fourth grades. “We are very grateful for this decision, especially now with decision to close school for the remainder of the year” she said. “Now with Chromebooks in hand, it has not only opened up our communication to students but allows us to see them virtually through Google Meet. As a teacher and mom who has always thought of too much technology as a barrier to socializing, that has obviously changed with these unprecedented times that now require social distancing. But it is also now the greatest way to see our students and communicate with our parents.”
She went on to say that they knew to not expect every student to be on, but she knew that each one of the teachers were elated to see the students who could participate. “It’s the best we can do for right now,” said Herrington. “As we continue to meet them three days a week, it will help them have that time to look forward to seeing their friends. As I’ve told my students, ‘this is a time none of us would even seem possible but by abiding by our Governor’s rules, and taking care of each other within our families, it will soon pass’. Our students know how much we care about them, and it’s our job to continue what we would normally be doing in the classroom. Google Classroom has been our means to both communicate and to teach. Our elementary counselor has also created a Google Classroom page for kids with activities along with a Harry Potter book club and read-aloud time.”
She closed by offering some advice to parents. “We as teachers know that times are difficult and that each family has different lifestyles,” said Herrington. “We also understand the stress with making sure their kids are doing their school work, taking care of others at home, working if they’re lucky and making sure there is food on the table. It’s too much at times. We are here for support for their children, and NOT just that they must meet deadlines and have to study for tests. Keeping our students in the loop with what they have already learned, and keeping them reading and writing, is what our job is.”
Sherry Leksell teaches high school English and said that the announcement of schools closed for the rest of this year was ‘heartbreaking’. “I think a lot of us are struggling, because we miss our students and want to make sure they’re safe both physically and emotionally,” stated Keksell. “We just miss being part of the high school community.” She explains that, from the minute school was cancelled, she made plans to teach online. “I also teach Comp II and Public Speaking as a dual-credit class for both EGHS and Iowa Central,” she said. “We moved our daily class to a 90-minute online class that meets every other day. I have had to also modify some of the assignments. For example, for speech class I let kids record themselves on their computer or phone and then text or email me if they had struggles uploading to Google Classroom.”
She went on to say that a problem then developed with connecting to a student living in Thor, but that superintendent Jess Toliver and IT director Lance Lennon worked out a way to boost the connection so that student can fully participate. “I record each day’s lesson and upload those, then students can text or email questions about their learning,” said Leksell. “It is not always perfect, but we have found ways to incorporate authentic learning.” She also reaches out through social media. “Prior to this pandemic, I was not on any platform and would not have friended students for a myriad of reasons,” she said. “However, in desperate times we do whatever we can to make those connections. Even though I am not normally on Facebook or Twitter, I have reached out to both students and their parents to keep up to date on what is going on in their world.”
She also feels that doing that becomes an opportunity to provide learning resources. “Every school day of the quarantine, I have been making movie trailers based on short stories that are appropriate for a high school audience,” said Leksell. “I place these videos on Facebook with links to the stories themselves. I’m hoping to ‘hook’ students into good reading material if they have limited access in their homes. Former the number of views that I have on the trailers I would say they’re working a little.” The EGHS staff also formed teams to develop curriculum that is fun, interactive and also works on those key skills they want students to learn. “For example, Mrs. Tapper teaches family and consumer sciences so she covered dining etiquette, place settings and dressing for an employment interview,” she said. “Mrs. Haugland’s team worked on some Earth Day activities to correspond to that. I worked with guidance counselor Mrs. Paukert to do both a good and bad job interview, so that kids can see and practice how to capture their next job. We have also established office hours for students to pop in, say hello, ask questions about the online material and to connect with teachers and peers.”
She is seeing the teachers being really creative. “We came together and created a ‘Love My School’ video to remind students that we love and miss them,” said Leksell. “There were hundreds of pictures submitted that covered classes, sports, the fine arts, social gatherings and greetings.” It was also a challenge to get the students to complete work that isn’t mandatory. “We are reaching out in writing, on social media and with phone calls,” she said. “Some high school student are working more hours at essential service jobs like Fareway, at Rotary or the pharmacy and other places. This might make connecting to school challenging. I think our staff understands and will continue to find ways to connect, enrich and check in on them.”
Leksell, and the rest of the teachers, understand that this is a particularly challenging time for parents. “My advice to them is, first off, make sure your kids are emotionally okay,” she said. “Tell them that we’ll get through this, listen with an open ear because their world and what’s important to them has been disrupted, and then tell encourage them to reach out. They can read a book, play some music, make a recipe or learn a new skill.”
She also feels that, come next fall, the teachers are pretty good at teaching students where they are. “It will be difficult, but we are all aware that modifications will need to be made,” said Leksell. “My plan is to double-back when I need to and adjust my teaching to the needs of the students in front of me.”
Kindergarten teacher Stacey Osborn stated that all teachers are doing their best to reach all students. “Our kindergarten students are sharing many videos of us teaching as it we were in the classroom,” she said. “We post online read a-louds, videos, songs and activities using Google Slides. All of this is through our classroom Facebook page.” In addition, they have prepared packets of worksheets and activities that were delivered to the doorstep of each family and another round is coming in early May. Parents are encouraged to comment of the page or reach out through Messenger or by email to share their child’s work or present any questions or concerns they may have. “We also had a PD on how to use Google Meets so that we can meet live with our students once or twice a week,” added Osborn.
She admits that, for an experienced, old non-techy teacher like her, it has been very challenging to learn this new way of teaching. “Teaching five to six-year olds consists mostly of hands-on activities,” said Osborn. “We don’t use Google Classroom, and some of the other tools upper grades already have in place. So as their teacher, I am already behind the game. It is new and different, but I am determined to learn how to be successful for my students. Some of our families might not be teach savvy either, nor do they have access to technology in the home. There are also a few communication barriers.”
She goes on to say that the district has chosen to focus on strengthening skills that have already been taught and not necessarily new learning. “To prepare for going online, we continue to have staff meetings at least once a week, and grade alike teams meet weekly to plan what essential learning needs to be reviewed,” said Osborn. “Packets of activities and worksheets have been prepared and delivered to every family’s doorstep.” When it comes to state mandates for completion of work, or what will be done in the fall if students don’t, she admits that those are questions still being worked on and she is unable to provide answers at this time. “I can however say that we will continue to teach them at the level they come in at, and it will all be based off data and each grade will have to adjust accordingly,” she added.
She doesn’t believe it will force parents into considering holding back a student in such a fundamental learning year. “All students, at every level, are in the same boat with loss of classroom time.” Said Osborn. “It makes sense to move them on to the next grade. That doesn’t mean however that first grade will start with the same plans as they did last year. There will be a lot of vertical alignment discussions between grades as to what the students missed out on and what is still needed.” She feels with lots of collaboration and planning, staff will make sure the students don’t missed out on foundational skills. As far as retention, some students may have had prior communication with their teachers about that and will do what is needed when the time comes.
She leaves a few tips for parents, as she knows it’s a very trying time and that each family’s situation is different. “Do the best you can with what you have,” said Osborn. “Stay in contact with your teachers by sharing your child’s celebrations and/or struggles with us. Let us know if the materials we are sharing are helpful or not, as this is new learning for us as well and we want to make it as easy as we can for families. Take time to breathe, and it’s okay to take breaks and it’s okay not to know how to teach a lesson. Believe me, I wouldn’t know how to do your job so reach out to us. Finally, and most importantly, take time to simply enjoy your family. Cook together, eat together, play games, read together and laugh together!”
In part 2, we will hear from each of the building administrators.
