Teachers didn’t let pandemic hinder their students with disabilities

School in Maryland found strategies to keep children engaged online

BALTIMORE— Teacher Allison Engel and the rest of the staff at Ridge Ruxton School in Towson, Md., had just one day to pull off the impossible and figure out how to educate their students with disabilities over a computer screen. On March 12, Maryland schools were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instruction, state teachers were told, would have to take place remotely.

That was a significant challenge for a typical classroom. But in special education classrooms, the obstacles seemed nearly insurmountable.

How, Engel wondered, could she show a child how to hold a spoon without cupping her own hand behind that child’s elbow? How could she explain the pandemic to a little girl with learning disabilities who waited daily for a school bus that never arrived? How could Engel teach colours to a little boy who was unable to sit in a chair unassisted, let alone operate a computer?

But she knew that Ridge Ruxton’s teachers, staff and parents would figure it out together.

“Everyone came together to build a plan from the ground up,” said Engel. “We were in constant contact through phone calls, emails and text messages. I have never met a more dedicated group of individuals.”

Principal Missy Beltran figured out how to get money to her teachers to pay for supplies that could be delivered to students’ homes. Student development specialists Valerie Mount and Justine Branaman scrambled to design a curriculum. Instructional assistant Shakira Rios Colon, sheltering in Puerto Rico with her family, filmed educational videos from the beach.

Engel drew on the relaxed charm she’s perfected during three decades of teaching. She made it all seem like a game and she cajoled her pupils into playing with her. Despite the obstacles, the students are continuing to learn.

“Recently, we’ve been talking about things we would see on a camping trip,” Engel said. “I asked the students to bring a picture or stuffed animal of a bug. One boy showed us a drawing he’d made of a spider. He was so proud. When I saw his smile, I thought, ‘OK.’ ”