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What will Spring 2020 Unveil about American Education? Part 2

Writer's picture: Rachel WhilbyRachel Whilby

I am “fortunate” to currently work for a school network that, prior to COVID-19, was already well on its way to actively using virtual learning as part of the academic program. In more stable times, my teachers were proactively trained in the use of virtual platforms and best practices for student use were being implemented. Consequently, the transition to 100% virtual was seamless [for the school]. Conversely, when I speak to colleagues across the nation, I have learned this is certainly not their story. Schools, individual teachers, and families are now reacting to the current reality and are all continuing to struggle with how to move forward. Sadly, being “reactive” is a familiar trend in American education.


Before I dive in, let’s be clear: I’m biased. I’ve lived a teacher life my entire professional career. When teaching is done right, it is one of the most challenging, thankless, and noble careers anyone can take on. So for the sake of my argument, please see my definition of teacher.

TEACHER (noun)

teach·​er | \ ˈtē-chər \ a hardworking, motivated, self-less, change-agent

Antonyms:

lazy, knucklehead, profiter, famous


With that said, as I express my ideas, I am thinking of those individuals who take their charge seriously and wake up each day thinking how they can impact the world, one child at a time.


So the biggest challenge teachers are facing right now? Ambiguity! Presently, there is barely even a what much less a how in American education. What is the goal for schooling right now? Is the intent that students should be reviewing? Learning new content? Skill building? Or just staying busy? Whether an educator is putting together their weekly packet for a Google Classroom post, or preparing for a synchronous lesson with their class of 25 scholars… the question is the same: What is my end goal?


Now that school buildings across the country are closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year (a process that took way too long in some areas), the seemingly obvious end goal becomes: finish out the curriculum for the school year. However, as school districts in poverty stricken areas are reminded that their population does not have access to technology; as the lack of internet access in rural regions of the country is recognized; as the home-life and family dynamics some American children face fail to make a conducive learning environment; all of these factors set a portion of American children up to fail the balance of this school year for no fault of their own. You may have one type of child visioned in your mind as I list these barriers but be clear that family dynamics, learning differences, mental health concerns and even access, transcend race and social class (the later impact in adulthood, however, will strongly penalize children of color over their white peers).


Therefore, it is not a question of how teachers will continue with business as usual. The question is is should teachers proceed with business as usual? While we can’t penalize those students and families where the child is prepared to move forward, how can we intentionally continue a system that will only widen the achievement gap? So I ask: should Spring 2020 be considered an opportunity for students to build a different skill set? Return to the art of cursive; sports conditioning and other physical health opportunities; internships (several industries are still up and running in the virtual space); the arts; social-emotional learning and mental health; independent studies… It seems to me, whether we want to talk about it today (proactively) or in Fall 2020 (reactively), there will be a need for remediation and shoring up of skills for all students in the year to come. Perhaps, instead of clumsy, albeit well-intentioned, attempts to make traditional school happen in an untraditional way, we should be thinking about how to help our youth develop a completely different set of skills in this time they have been given. What are your thoughts?

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