Springfield District 186 teachers stay in touch with students and their families via email, phone calls, apps, and videos. | https://www.sps186.org/
Springfield District 186 teachers stay in touch with students and their families via email, phone calls, apps, and videos. | https://www.sps186.org/
Following school building closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, students and teachers are finding new ways of learning.
Springfield District 186 teachers are in touch with students and their families via email, phone calls, apps like FaceTime and ClassDojo, as well as Zoom and Google Meets videoconferencing. Teachers take questions every weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
With schools due to be closed until April 30, Rachel Johnson, a Southeast High School teacher, told The State Journal-Register that she wants to get students prepared for Advanced Placement tests scheduled for early May. She has been teaching with instructional videos, and said she thinks the method will gain momentum the longer the students are away from their traditional classrooms.
“I know my students well and I know they’re hard workers, I’m hopeful they’ll catch some of this,” Johnson told The State Journal-Register.
Jill Friday, an eighth-grade teacher at Washington Middle School, said she has phoned students’ families and emailed regularly.
"I call because I want to keep that relationship," said Friday, who recently did a lesson on a book called "Pride," a take on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," on Google Classroom. Students can provide answers using the SeeSaw app.
Responses have been relatively slow to come in, Friday said, noting that at home students have more distractions. She’s hopeful that with time they will get more used to the program.
"Students respond to encouragement and positivity," Friday told The State Journal-Register. "With online learning, you have to be a self-starter and it's easy to get frustrated with technology."
Brian Giddings has an eighth-grade daughter at Grant Middle School, and says he has been impressed with the communications from her teachers.
“It helps me make sure she is getting (assignments) accomplished," Giddings said, adding that he appreciates how much effort the educators are putting in.
“They are trying very hard to keep things as normal as possible during non-normal times," Giddings told The State Journal-Register.
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