Teachers work to connect with students
While students adapt to learning from home, Dayton Public Schools teachers are working to ensure students feel a sense of normalcy as they finish out the school year.
Decorating a space to resemble their classroom for virtual lessons, speaking to students one-on-one, and mailing care packages are just a few of the ways teachers are connecting with students as the school year comes to a close.
Lauren Gruber, an art teacher at Wright Brothers Middle School, has even kept her after-school club alive despite not being able to meet in person.
Using Google Hangouts,
Gruber’s art club meets each week and completes activities with materials students can find at home. One week, the club created paper butterflies out of magazine pages. In another meeting, Gruber demonstrated how to make face masks out of a cotton shirt or a bandana.
Gruber said this virtual art club is a time to connect with students and help them use art as a creative outlet, and as a way to deal with any feelings of anxiety they may be experiencing.
Another DPS teacher took students on a virtual field trip.
Ruskin preschool teacher Erin Wertalik-Eads filmed her drive from school to Young’s Jersey Dairy and then walked students through what they would have seen if they had gone in person. Although the dairy was not fully open, students could still see goats, a few cows and tractors. This virtual field trip was shared with students to watch at home.
Follow Dayton Public Schools on social media for more information about how teachers are connecting with students during this time.