Pupils, parents and teachers praised for home schooling
Teachers running classrooms from their living rooms have praised pupils for “rising to the challenge”of lockdown.
Staff at one of Ayr’s biggest primaries admit online schooling has thrust a brave new world upon education. They hailed youngsters for adapting to teaching via technology.
David Watson, who heads Forehill Primary,said:“At the heart of everything is the pupils’willingness to stay engaged and keep learning. We all know this is not easy, but the children and their parents have been fantastic. They are rising to the challenge and that also goes for the staff who are working hard to organise the lessons from home.”
The advancement of technology has allowed teachers to plot lessons and give pupils weekly plans. Video sessions are taking place with pupils holding regular‘check-in’sessions to update their teachers on progress.
Laura McConachie, who teaches Primary 1, said:“My age group obviously don’t deal in textbooks, so we keep things as fun and interactive as possible.
“Keeping in touch with parents is crucial and the feedback has been good that children are adapting as much as we can expect.”
Fellow teacher Laura Paterson, who oversees a P2/3 class, agrees:“For me it’s about using the tools we have and trying to make it as fun and enjoyable for the children as possible. They have access to some great learning resources these days such as‘Education City’and ‘Sumdog’which are a good way of keeping the children engaged.”
Mr Watson added:“We remain open as a care hub and on any given day have 30 to 40 children in the school learning.
“We cannot wait for the day it is safe to have all of the children and teachers back together.”