As NY stops just short of a lock-down amid the spread of the Coronavirus, many of us teachers worry for the future. Sure, we’ve been instructed to commenced “remote learning” for the next month, but no one knows what that really looks like until it’s up and running. Many of my students have made contact but not all and I am concerned for those I have not yet heard from (if you’re out there, give me a shout). I would sometimes joke about wanting to “work from home,” all the while knowing it was impossible as I needed to see my students in person everyday. Learning is not a solitary act; kids learn from each even as they are learning from their teachers and when that piece is absent, the experience is not as rich or fulfilling.
Many of my students don’t have access to devices to engage in remote learning. And while my school and the Dept. of Education are making an effort, some kids are going to fall through the cracks. As teachers, we will do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen, but we can’t always control these circumstances. Plus, the message about devices…was made online. So that means if someone doesn’t have access to a device, they don’t know where to get one as the information…was emailed.
And all of this doesn’t event take into account what all of this is going to look like as I’m working double duty as a working mom and a stay at home mom. My daughters are 2, and they need supervision. I can’t do all of the things I would normally do at school at home while they are with me. We are trying our best to make sure they are engaged but it is hard when there are demands coming from every which way.
For anyone who still thinks this is a vacation, it is not. Please take all of the guidelines seriously.
Meditations on Literature and Literacy...Continued 