6 minute read
Virtual Learning
Virtual Learning Students head back to class at home for – at least – the fall semester
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NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN
Each January, we feature students from Intown’s public schools, private schools and colleges who have given back to their community in a significant way. Over the last ten years, we’ve featured students who have created their own nonprofits, have given up summer vacation to work domestically and abroad to help the less fortunate and one even helped build a library by collecting books.
The 13th annual 20 Under 20 will appear in our January 2021 issue and we are now seeking nominations of
students ages 19 and younger who have committed themselves to service to the community. Nominations are welcome from teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, siblings, fellow students or community leaders. Here’s the information we need:
Nominator (name, relationship to nominee and contact information) Nominee (Name, age, grade, school, parent or guardian names, contact information) Characteristics and service: Please provide a paragraph describing why this nominee deserves recognition. Include service projects, goals, interests and areas of interest to help illustrate your point.
The deadline for nominations is Nov. 6. Please email your nominations to editor Collin Kelley at collin@atlantaintownpaper.com.
By Clare S. Richie
In the May edition of INtown, we spoke to parents from Atlanta Public Schools’ Grady cluster about how they and their kids were adapting to learning at home when the coronavirus pandemic abruptly shuttered schools. As APS was still rolling out their plans for the new school year, we spoke to those parents again plus a couple of new ones about what they learned in the spring and how they’re preparing to spend the next nine weeks – at least – with their kids in virtual classrooms.
Tessa Pickren, who has a senior, sophomore, and 7th grader, praised the teachers and administrators for making the most of a difficult situation. “I am grateful for all that they are doing to make this hard situation the best for all our kids,” she said. “It’s no easy task!”
Pickren, said she was most concerned about her 7th grader, who was disappointed about more virtual learning. Admittedly, he wasn’t a big fan of going to school in person but after spending his final weeks of 6th grade learning at home, he was eager to go to class.
“He’s tired of being at home and is tired of doing school online,” Pickren said. “I’m trying to set expectations for him that this is going to be different than spring. Spring was survival – he could get all of his work done in an hour and a half. I think this is going to be more structured this go around.”
Pickren also said learning new math concepts isn’t easy to do online, even for her 10th grader. “She learns best face to face, which is not an option, so we will have to make the best of it.”
Renee Klein, mom to a sophomore and 7th grader, said she and the kids weren’t surprised when APS and other local school districts announced that virtual learning would continue.
“Is it really only going to be 9 weeks or is it going to be until January or is it the whole year?” Klein mused. “I guess we don’t really know, but I feel very nervous about that.”
Klein said she hopes there is more structure and interaction with the teachers this goround. She’s also discussing creating “learning pods” where a small number of students
meet – socially distanced – to learn together.
“I’ve talked to a couple of parents about doing a pod, but I don’t know what that looks like yet,” Klein said. “I’m open to that idea because the interaction will be helpful for my 7th grader. We’re going to explore that if we can do it safely.”
With three boys at home – in 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade – and the need to also balance a career, Lauren Ellen is expecting the fall to be a bigger challenge. Still, she agreed with APS’s decision to go virtual.
“I felt like there was no good answer,” Ellen said. “Going back wasn’t the right answer, virtual wasn’t the right answer. I knew there was no way we were going back, so I began to prepare myself – as we were watching the cases rise – I knew we were going to be home. I’m ok with that, I do think it is the wisest decision.”
Her kids’ reactions were mixed to the decision: “My oldest son who is starting middle school, was really upset because he wanted to ride his bike to school every day. The younger two were sad to miss their friends but they weren’t too extremely upset.”
Ellen said virtual teaching new material to students who have risen to a new grade was likely to be tricky. She’s discussed hiring a school day facilitator with other parents in the neighborhood for her 2nd grader and would like to for her 4th grader as well, if they are financially able to.
“For my 6th grader, we’ve talked about hiring a math tutor once a week and an English tutor once a week to come for an hour and work with the three 6th graders on our street to make sure they are getting what they need to out of each class,” Ellen said.
The idea of creating a “learning pod” in the neighborhood has come from necessity as parents also must work. “The economy has changed. We’re all thinking, ‘I want to have a job in a month, I want to perform and do what I need to do.’ That’s what got the conversation going – we’ve got to do something since we all work from home.”
Kafi Green, who has two high school students, shared that she wasn’t doing too much extra to prepare.
“I am hiring a math tutor to work with them a couple of hours a week and I hope to set up some social gatherings – masks, social distancing – with friends,” Green said.
A Grady cluster mom who wished to remain anonymous, but who has a senior and freshman, hasn’t looked into the possibility of study group or pods yet. She knows her students miss socializing with their classmates but she is more focused on maintaining social distancing to keep them safe.
“My freshman was excited to start high school and have that experience ideally in person,” the mom said. “My senior has a lot of AP [advanced placement] courses so she knows it’s going to be extra difficult but they are looking at it like, ‘I’ve got to make the best of it.’”
“My biggest concern is not that my kids are in a brick and mortar schedule it’s that they’re getting the best education they can during this time,” the mom said.
— Collin Kelley contributed to this report
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