MANY VOICES, ONE WOOLWICH COVID-19 COMMUNITY DIARIES

Heidi Wagner, Rural community health worker, Woolwich Community Health Centre

Like all other communities, the Mennonite communities in Woolwich are taking Public Health recommendations seriously. All the schools have been closed for over a month and teachers have had to find creative ways to reach their students to continue with a modified lesson plan. Children enrolled in the regional school system are getting their instructions via online learning and are expected to complete weekly assignments at home.

However, children attending parochial Mennonite schools do not have access to computers and those teachers have had to find constructive ways to reach their pupils. From what I have heard from the teachers, they have devised a method of preparing individual lessons for each child that will be picked up at the teacher’s porch, local farm shed depot or delivered to their mailbox once a week. The children are to complete the lessons in math, reading, grammar and spelling, which will be dropped off for the teacher to mark after a week’s time. This will happen every week until the end of their school year in mid-June, or until the ban is lifted.

These schools usually have between 30 to 40 students in attendance, but that would include all eight grades plus a few kindergarten children. These teachers need to create assignments for each grade level. Parents are expected to help the children with their homework but teachers have made themselves available by telephone every morning to answer specific questions. The teachers participate twice a week in a conference call which can include up to 400 people, where they get directions and suggestions for interacting within their community.

Church services have also been eliminated or modified to still spread the word of God. Sermons are being written and distributed for families to read individually instead of coming together as a community. A sermon may be delivered over the phone and a number of families can listen in at their homes during a conference call.

This time of isolation and social distancing has been difficult for everyone. The spread of COVID-19 has to be curbed and people are trying to do their best to make this happen soon. The resolve and creativity within the Mennonite community show that they are willing to do their part to avoid the spread of this disease.