Use the news: Distance learning on call-up

Lesson for grades 5-8

With many schools closed due to the coronavirus, distance learning has become more and more routine for teachers and students. No one has taken it quite so far as a music teacher from Fairfax County, Virginia. He kept teaching his students even after he was called up by the National Guard to protect the U.S. Capitol during the inauguration of President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.

Sgt. Jacob Kohut, 34, was unfazed by his military assignment. He taught music lessons, in uniform, before his daily Guard shift began each day, or in his military Humvee vehicle during breaks. When he was called to Washington for duty, he said “my first thought was, ‘What about my kids?’ ” the Washington Post newspaper reported. “… The last thing these students need is a disruption in their teaching.”

Kohut admits it’s tiring to teach while on call-up, but he’s determined to keep teaching his elementary and middle school students. “This is what a hero looks like,” one of his principals said in a message to parents.

Sgt. Jacob Kohut has been called a hero for continuing to teach his students even after being called up by the National Guard.

Activity: In the newspaper or online find and closely read other stories about people who could be considered heroes for things they do for students or children. Use what you read to write an editorial detailing how one person has acted like a hero and how the community is better for it.