For those teachers or parents who have a child in the school system right now, can I just give you a hug? This Distance Learning thing has been wild. We offer care for elementary children right now who engage in online Distance Learning. My hope is that this is the first and last school year that our schools have to offer this to our children and adolescents. 😉 For those of you who haven’t been a part of this because your child is too young, silently sending a message of gratitude to the gods above is probably a good idea if you haven’t yet. But wait…what are you grateful for? To TRULY appreciate your good fortune, allow me to part the curtain so you get a glimpse of what this has been like from our perspective.
Here at Sunrise, we have three classrooms of Distance Learners (DLs) right now. Nine schools districts and charter schools are represented in our three classrooms. And within each elementary school of each district, there are different grade levels with different teachers, so every single one of our DLs has a different schedule of time they need to be online live with their teacher, assignments to work on between sessions with their teacher, and of course different software programs that each teacher requires. The reading software is completely different, for example, for a kinder than it is for a fifth grader. Our Sunrise Teachers, Ms. Ali, Ms. Karla and Ms. Stefanie, who have been in charge of a DL classroom, are the most organized, tech savvy, patient women I have the pleasure of employing! From the changing software they are helping their children to download to different lunch times to showing the kinders how to navigate a laptop for the first time….whew!…this has been one of the most challenging programs we’ve ever managed.
Check out these pictures. This is how bonkers the level of organization has been to keep each child on task:
Thank you to our teachers who have navigated all of the issues with a smile so that their children felt supported and enjoyed their learning experience! Thank you to my husband who upgraded our internet system personally, crawling through the attic when it was 105 degrees out to run more wire, and increasing our bandwidth service to accommodate so many online at once! Thank you to our elementary teachers who are also learning on the fly and switching software if needed to help their students and keep them from falling behind! So this Labor Day, I will take a breath and hope as you do, too, that you will join me in thanking our lucky stars for the teachers and parents and tech support in our lives who keep our children motivated, educated and happy. You are all AMAZING and our children couldn’t do it without you!
An Ode to Distance Learning…~ by Chris Skierski
Twas the day of distance learning, and all through the room
The children were getting ready to talk to their teacher through Zoom
The backgrounds were selected, most with great care
In hopes that their teacher would soon be there
The children were huddled all snug for their call
While parents hoped that she could help with it all
Mama fretted the science, and I feared the math
But the children were waiting and all started to nap
When up on the screen arose such a clatter
I sprang to the device to see what was the matter
The microphone wouldn’t work, the connection was bad
The internet was down, and we all blamed dad
When what to my wandering eyes should appear
But our teacher, to calm all our greatest fears
With a patient smile so lively with ease
I knew our homework would now be a breeze
More rapid then eagles the understanding came
Our children delighted as she called them by name
Now Billy, now Jane, now Coral and Sarah,
On Breezie, and Richie, and Ocean, and Tarah
To your books, she cried, to your work, do it all
Then dash away, dash away, dash away all
As leaves before the hurricane fly
The children started to work, and they didn’t even cry
And throughout all the houses, through their courses they flew
Through English, and writing, and algebra too
Then, with a wink of her eye and a twist of her head
Our teacher told us we had nothing to dread
I spoke not a word, but checked my child’s work
Then she filled up the gradebook and turned with a jerk
I thanked her so kindly as she waved goodbye
And ended the zoom as I let out a sigh
But I heard her exclaim as she went out of sight
You’re doing great with distance learning, it will all be alright.
