Students return to class
Teachers and students separated for two weeks by a statewide walkout returned to the classroom in Oklahoma’s largest district on Monday.
Roosevelt Middle School art teacher Katie Guthrie welcomed back students with a slide show about the walkout, which drew thousands to the state Capitol in search of more education funding.
“I wanted them to see what we were doing out there, the scale of what was happening out there, get them familiar with the situation as a whole,” she said.
“I’m sure they probably were seeing things on the news, they were probably hearing things from their parents, and I kind of wanted to set the record straight for them and just let them know exactly what we were doing out there and why it was so important, and most importantly, to let them know that it was all for them.”
Roosevelt eighth-grader America Mota said she mostly missed hanging out with her friends while school was closed.
The teenager said she didn’t do much except play with her younger siblings and work on an essay for one of her teachers.
“We need to start learning again,” she said.
Principal Scott Farley was glad to have teachers and students back in the building.
“It’s good to see everybody here together, back working towards the goal,” he said.
Farley added that it is important for students to see what teachers “were doing” on their behalf during the closure.
“It wasn’t just teachers sitting at home,” he said. “Teachers were out working, trying to get adequate funding for the schools and then raises for them as well.”
Teachers across Oklahoma City Public Schools will continue their advocacy efforts beginning Tuesday, when representatives from multiple schools will travel to the Capitol every day over the next weeks.
Up to 50teachers per day can request union leave to participate, said Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers.
Allen said the visits are designed to keep the pressure on lawmakers.
“We’ve started a ‘Remember in November’ (election) campaign to let them know that this wasn’t a two-week thing and we’re going to go home,” he said. “This is a very directed campaign to help our friends and defeat the folks that don’t like to lift a finger for education.”
State testing was on the minds of many at Roosevelt on Monday, including America, 13.
“This year, since I’m in eighth grade, we have to focus on the writing test,” she said. “In high school, if you want to take advanced classes you have to focus on good scores or a higher score than what most teachers would expect.”
Math teacher Morgan Mitchell called the testing period “very important for math.” Mitchell said she was happy to have a week to review with her students, who test on April 25.
“I wasn’t sure how long the walkout would go,” she said, “so before they left I gave them an all-comprehensive packet and said to do a page a day to at least keep up and keep focused.
“And I checked in with them over Google classroom, so most of them stayed somewhat focused through the break.”
Roosevelt students, meanwhile, will end their school day one hour later to make up for missed instruction time.
The adjusted schedule will add about 10 minutes to each class period, Farley said.
All other middle schools and elementary schools that start at 9:10 a.m. will end at 5 p.m., according to the district’s website.
Elementary schools with 8:20 a.m. start times will end at 4:10 p.m., while all mid-highs and high schools that begin at 7:35 a.m. will end at 3:25 p.m. The exception is Classen School of Advanced Studies, which begins at 9:10 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m., according to the district.