We all know the story of Goldilocks sneaking into the house of the 3 bears – and first trying the big bowl of porridge and finding it too hot. And then the medium sized bowl of porridge and finding it too cold. Finally, eating up the small bowl of porridge that was just right. In some ways, as we carve out new territory with remote learning, we have been dishing out the bears porridge and our students have been Goldilocks.
We have done our best for remote learning to not be “too hot” or “too cold” but rather “just right”.
While there is some universal understanding of whether porridge is too hot or too cold, when in comes to remote learning there is more variance. A couple weeks in, we seem to agree that virtual lessons all day, where we try to recreate school by taking the block schedule and putting it online is too hot. Some jurisdictions are trying this, but having students in front of screens on one-way lectures for 5 hours a day is not what most people are looking for. At the too cold end of the spectrum, stories of leaving kids with minimal contact leaves them without community and connections. (Worth noting I have personally had both requests that we provide 5-6 hours a day of streaming online one-way classes and alternatively that we not contact a family until we return to in-person learning).
The challenge is that between these extremes, where we search for the “just right” it is not the same for everyone. There are so many variables for families. For some there is rich technology and parents at home able to assist. In other homes, just the opposite is true. And we have been clear to say that marks will not fall for students who commit to their learning during this time, but old habits of being driven by marks are still very present for many families. And the ramp-up in new skills for staff is also varied. It is amazing the new technology skills our staff have learned in just a couple of weeks.
So as we continue forward the search for just right is ongoing. We are regularly asking our students and parents if we are hitting the mark and differentiating where we can. We want students to be turning off their phone notifications, setting their own deadlines for work and spending chunks of time uninterrupted on their work – these are good life skills. We also want families to remember that learning is not just about stuff from books. We want our students to be physically active, and pursuing their passions, and looking at the various extension options we are offering through our district website.
Students are not falling behind. It is a global pandemic – we are all in this together. And when we return to more normal times it is our job to meet students where they are and help move them forward.
In the meantime, we will keep trying to get the porridge the right temperature for you.
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