WARRENVILLE — Kindergarten teacher Latoya McGriff was ahead of the curve with using the internet to reach her students and their parents.
Aiken County public schools are closed and have transitioned to distance learning. McGriff, a teacher at Warrenville Elementary School, has been using Facebook Live to teach both students and parents for the past six months on her weekly show, "Story Time with Ms. McGriff."
“When one of my kids came to pick up their distance learning packets,” McGriff said. “Their eyes watered up, they truly do miss me. They miss my classroom structure. It’s not just me, these students are going to miss having that classroom interaction with all of their teachers.”
Throughout this transition, the school district is working to equip teachers to educate students remotely.
“The district is providing virtual professional development sessions to help teachers learn how to use videoconferencing to engage parents and students,” Charlene Heard, Warrenville Elementary's principal, said. "Teachers also use other platforms such as ClassDojo to stay connected with parents and students."
Many of teachers packed white boards, magnetic letters and other instructional materials to model for students in preparation to leave their classrooms for weeks.
"Nothing replaces having students in the classroom," Heard said. "In small groups, and one-on-one with the teachers. Teachers are making every effort to recreate the classroom experience by using a variety of online platforms to meet the needs of their students.”
McGriff does have experience using Facebook Live to read to her students but the main challenge is that she cannot hear feedback from students on that application.
“Right now, what I’ve been working on is trying to figure out which app will reach my students the most effectively,” McGriff said. “For example, ClassDojo, I usually use that during class to track behavior and that’s all I’ve ever used it for. I have never used it to assign assignments. So now, I’m exploring more with it. Dojo has added some features to help with the distance learning because of the coronavirus."
Heard believes Aiken County's team of teachers will find the best method to engage students effectively.
“Ms. McGriff is a very innovative teacher,” Heard said “She is always looking for ways to engage children of all ages. She is an example of the dedicated teachers in Aiken County.”
To help set the tone of distance learning the Aiken County Public School District Superintendent King Laurence has started an online reading called, “Superintendent Story Time.”
Laurence said the inspiration came from being a part of read across America earlier this month, where he read to several schools. He had planned to go to classrooms and read more.
However, after the school closure, that mode of connection wasn't available. Laurence then remembered seeing a teacher on Facebook Live who was reading to students and created his own online reading on the Aiken County Public Schools' YouTube channel.
“I wasn’t ready for live reading,” Laurence said. “Now that doesn’t mean that at some point I won't do some live reading, but it takes me a few takes. So, I just decided let's record it for now. Then as I get more comfortable with the camera maybe I can start reading books live.”
With these new roles of educators and parents, social media exploded with commentary about parents homeschooling.
People like the executive producer of the television medical drama "Grey’s Anatomy," Shonda Rhimes, stated online, "Teachers deserve to make a billion dollars a year or a week." McGriff offers her response to these types of comments.
“I’ve seen all those jokes," McGriff said. "And I just can’t help but think now parents have a better understanding. Teachers do work very hard, so when we send something extra home please help us. We’re not trying to take over family time but maybe your kid may need a little more extra help. So with parents teaching their kids, now they can really see what they are struggling with. Now they get to see it for themselves.”
This type of transition will take a bit of courage. The second episode of Laurence’s reading of "Courage," by Bernard Waber, provides examples of the many kinds of courage found throughout life. Laurence said the book isn't only good for students but also for adults.
“I’ve read 'Courage' to principals, my faculty, parents and to my church," Laurence said. "It really does let us know that we don’t have to be Superman. The little things that we can have courage about, the little things that we can be brave about, can make a huge difference when we are facing what we’ve never faced before.”
“All of us are still here,” Laurence said. “We may not be able to join together in our classrooms, schools, or offices but we’re all still here. And our children especially need to be reminded that everything is going to be OK.”
McGriff offered some advice for parents who may be struggling with their students at home.
“Try the different apps and see what works best for your student,” McGriff said. “And don’t feel like you have to put them on ABC Now for an hour maybe try 15 to 20 minutes max and then take a break and do something else. Easter is coming up, take Easter eggs and put your child’s spelling words on them and hide those around the yard or in the house. Try and find ways to keep their brains active."
