Why cancel school when online option is there?
The public board should be scratching and clawing for every day of teaching and learning right now
When a major snowstorm arrived last week, Hamilton’s public school board announced all schools would be closed. Then on Monday, when power went out in the neighbourhood around a local elementary school, the board announced that James MacDonald Elementary would be closed for the day.
In both cases the decision to shut the doors was sound. But the decision to cancel online lessons was entirely ludicrous.
After a year of learning how to do remote learning, it makes absolutely no sense not to use the technology at a moment when it would be wonderfully handy. In these cases or in future inclement weather situations. Especially when students everywhere have been affected so significantly by the events of the past months.
Many educational experts will tell you that many — perhaps most — students’ learning has been hurt as a result of the pandemic. Some call it the COVID gap, some call it the COVID slide. But they say it’s real and hugely troubling. As a result, every available minute of possible teaching time should be guarded jealously and used fully.
“We need to be particularly vigilant in protecting learning time,” says Canadian education consultant, researcher and author Paul Bennett.
Instead, the Hamilton public board rejected a proposed policy change back in December (one that was criticized by teachers’ unions) that would’ve introduced work-from-home measures on bad-weather days because it might cause “additional stress” and some students might not have access to internet or a computer.
This latter point fits with what Bennett describes as worstcase scenario education policy making. In this circumstance, if some cannot participate, none can.
“You default to the worst case and everyone is affected by the decision,” he says.
It’s a philosophy fraught with some holes. One that was unintentionally highlighted between last week’s storm and Monday’s school closure.
The board sent out a provincial directive on Friday announcing that any student with a single potential symptom of COVID must stay home for as many as 10 days and anyone who’s been around someone who travelled internationally should stay away for up to 14 days. Fair enough.
But what if this now-homebound student doesn’t have access to reliable internet or a computer? Or faces unusual stresses? Applying the board’s ideology, all other students should be sent home to wait for their classmate’s return lest this youngster fall behind due to no fault of his or her own.
Of course that’s ridiculous. But is it really any sillier than saying nobody can learn when technology exists to make it possible because somebody might miss a day or two?
Particularly when the technology being talked about doesn’t just exist but has been used for weeks. In many cases, months. This is not just some theoretical concept.
Of course it’s had challenges and warts. No doubt it’s still a work in progress, as is the case with any business that’s faced the same need to take meetings and appointments online. But it’s better than the alternative which would be to say, it’s not perfect therefore we must do nothing. Which seems to be the message here.
If the argument against all this is that the hurdles are still so significant that we can’t do online classes during days when schools can’t open, the question becomes, why?
“Parents have a right to expect that after a year, 11 months, that teachers and school systems would have figured out how to properly provide hybrid learning,” Bennett says.
Indeed. Even if running every class is impossible because some teachers don’t have reliable internet at home, having all the other teachers available online to help students who need some extra guidance in certain subjects would be a benefit. Especially in high schools, where courses are complex and where students’ futures are riding on understanding the curriculum.
The Catholic board offers asynchronous learning on snow days. Meaning teachers don’t have to be in front of a camera offering a live class but work is provided for those who wish it. That’s something. Because many students are truly behind.
“Clearly what has taken place has caused learning gaps,” says Catholic board chair Pat Daly.
“Everywhere in the world there is new research emerging,” Bennett says. “The COVID slide is real.”
As a result, the public board should be scratching and clawing for every day of teaching and learning right now. Not executing a carte-blanche plan that shuts things down at the first sign of a hiccup.