MEET THE TEACHER by Sigrid Toye, Ph.D. Ms Toye is a former L.A. Unified School District teacher and has worked as an educational-behavior therapist in private practice since 1979.
Megan Soderborg – MUS 4th Grade
Melody attends a Zoom class
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Megan Soderborg and family
n this time of housebound confinement, fashion face masks, and six-foot social distancing, it’s impossible to pay a visit to the excellent schools I’ve grown to love in Montecito and Santa Barbara. Like a Broadway theatre on a Monday night, the lights are out and everything’s dark! Parking lots are vacant, students with backpacks loaded with books and homework are nowhere in sight, and the empty playgrounds are longing for recess and outdoor fun. That doesn’t mean, however, that nothing is going on. Not by a long shot! How do I know this, you might ask? My little… well, not so little anymore, fourth-grade granddaughter who attends Montecito Union School told me all about it: how she studies at home seated at a work space, designed especially for her, as she continues to prepare for the elevated status of a fifth grader in the fall. With the aid of her computer and the courtesy of Zoom (now the planet’s most popular website) she is able to communicate in real time with the other students in her class and her own teacher assisted by a fourth-grade teaching team. Having started my working life as a teacher, I was naturally curious. How does something like online teaching actually work for a classroom of elementary students? Online college courses I can understand, but elementary school… not so much. With MUS Superintendent Anthony Ranii’s blessing and assistance I was able to find out for myself how the new school-wide teaching method
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came to be. And, most importantly, how it is facilitated at the fourth-grade level. Megan Soderborg, my granddaughter’s fourth-grade teacher, was kind enough to take the time to talk with me. “Our fourth-grade teaching team works in collaboration according to their specialty, in effect teaching all of the subjects in my class,” summarized Soderborg. The team decided to strategically divide the planning of core subjects – reading, writing, math – by teacher. Dividing the workload in this way ensures higher quality experiences for students and makes the workload more manageable in this very unique environment. All fourthgrade teachers teach the core subjects in their own classroom during the Zoom classroom sessions as well as provide feedback on student work turned in through Google Classroom. Each teacher writes a guide to assist kids to finish independently after Zoom meetings using a variety of online platforms, along with Google Classroom’s easily accessible digital resources. Adding to that, the fourthgrade team meets weekly to prepare and evaluate, via Zoom of course… how’s that for teamwork and prep? Creating an interactive school day within the confines of each student’s home via computer was the vision. “We wanted to set up something that felt like school with structure and time for work and play,” Soderborg explained. The fourth-grade schedule begins in the Zoom virtual homeroom at 9 am with early blocks for core cur-
riculum followed by workshops for reading, writing, and math. Included is a block for specialist opportunities such as science, PE, art, music, and Spanish, plus a half-hour recess with a break in the middle of the day for lunch. “Our program remains a work in progress and we depend on feedback from parents and their children as we continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our online teaching methods,” stressed Soderborg. “Our entire community working together has always been the key to any successful program during challenging times, and this one is no exception.” The MUS experience of having to adjust and relocate during the Thomas Fire and the deadly debris flow in 2018 in Montecito most assuredly served as a forerunner for this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the pandemic and consequent school closures came as a surprise to everyone. “It was like being hit on the side of the head,” Soderborg recalls. “This all happened in the time before Spring Break and we had no idea how long it would last – maybe a couple of weeks, we thought.” However, informed by the past and the uncertainties looming ahead, the school administration and staff sprung into action. During Spring Break Soderborg and other faculty members investigated the Zoom platform and preparations were being made for the possibility that school might actually not open on campus. The Monday after the break teachers were given a two-day crash course in Zoom and time to plan what Distance Learning would look like in this new reality. On the third day, Wednesday April 1, Zoom became the new classroom and an innovative chapter of online instruction began. “And this happened so fast!” exclaimed Soderborg. “Fortunately MUS has an energy and enthusiasm that is catching. It is, and always has been, a supporting community... it’s just in the air you breathe here,” she continued. “That’s why we’ve been able to mobilize in the way that we did because, simply put, we are working in a collaborative
“How many people here have telekenetic powers? Raise my hand.” – Emo Philips
space.” Soderborg emphasized that the mission of the school has always been based on how best to benefit the student: the collaborative atmosphere innate at MUS and the support of the parents made the quick transition to online teaching possible. “I can’t emphasize enough how grateful I am for our amazing, supportive parents who are also working from home while trying to raise and help educate their own children!” Soderborg understands both sides with three small children of her own, ages six, four, and (gasp!) 20 months. A native Santa Barbarian, Megan Soderborg attended San Marcos High School where she and her future husband, Jeff, were students. She earned a degree from Boston College and after his graduation from UCLA, the couple rejoined and eventually moved to the Bay Area for law school during which time she taught Kindergarten and fourth grade. With the prospect of starting a family on the horizon and two sets of grandparents in Santa Barbara, the couple contemplated returning to the South Coast. In anticipation of the move, Soderborg applied for the position at MUS. “When I applied I didn’t think something like that could ever happen,” she recalled with a happy tone in her voice, “…but it did, and I’ve been here ever since… and never looked back!” Seems like a lot of other people are happy, too! The collaborative atmosphere that pervades Montecito Union School only underscores Megan Soderborg’s words. That spirit is unmistakable and radiates from the administration to the faculty and staff. It is hard to imagine that the MUS community has experienced a series of catastrophic, almost Biblical, events within the short period of two years. But as a result, it has not only survived, but thrived. Congratulations and thanks Montecito Union School for the success of your Distance Learning program, and to Megan Soderborg and the entire fourth-grade team. No wonder my granddaughter Melody is such a happy fourth-grade camper! •MJ 21 – 28 May 2020
