How teachers are adapting to the coronavirus crisis
Aglobal pandemic has closed schools across Pennsylvania and the nation, creating unprecedented challenges for public education. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that educators, support staff and parents are rising to meet this challenge and make sure students continue to learn and have their needs met.
The one sentiment I hear again and again from so many educators during this crisis is: “We miss our kids.” That’s why teachers and support staff in many communities organized “watch and wave” parades, where they drive slowly through neighborhoods to greet students at safe distances and remind them just how much they care.
From the start of this crisis, these professionals never stopped putting their students first.
You see that in the news stories about cafeteria workers who report to school, day after day, to prepare grab-and-go meals so that students don’t go hungry. Some teachers and support staff, such as those in the Selinsgrove Area School District, collected food to give to people in their community who are struggling.
To keep kids’ learning on track, educators across the state are adapting lesson plans and materials to meet students and families where they are — in many cases, through online instruction. Teachers are reading to students on YouTube and helping them work through math and science lessons in online chat sessions.
And for those students who do not have internet access, educators are delivering printed assignments to their homes or at grab-and-go meal sites. Some school districts are partnering with public television to provide educational programming.
Educators are also encouraging kids to get out of the house and go for a walk, if they can. Exercise is important for students and something they might be missing now.
I’m so impressed and proud of the way that everyone has stepped up in this crisis. We have marshaled every resource available to bring education into the homes of the 1.7 million students who are depending on us to keep learning.
And I’m grateful to the parents, guardians and other family members who have shown patience and understanding as we work through the challenges of remote instruction. Many of you are working from home and balancing the many responsibilities you have. You’re doing a great job.
At the end of the day, we share a common goal. We want to educate and serve the students of Pennsylvania, while keeping everyone safe and healthy.
The educators and support professionals I represent as the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association are committed to this. We’re going to get through this together.
Rich Askey is a Harrisburg music teacher and president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.