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Back to School | West: Teachers will need support from parents, students

Cumberland Times-News - 9/7/2020

Sep. 7--CUMBERLAND -- As school begins this week in a new way, under strange circumstances and with an unknown future, local experts say kindness, communication and cooperation will be key to a successful learning experience.

Allegany County Public Schools on Tuesday will reopen virtually for students, and prepare for small groups of pupils to receive some in-school learning.

That means educators will work harder than ever to ensure students have the best education they can get under the circumstances, UniServ Director Evan West said.

He works with education associations in Allegany and Garrett counties that combined represent roughly 1,300 members.

"(Teachers) will be supporting their students as best they can and will need support from parents and students as well," West said via email. "This isn't going to be easy for anyone, so we should be supporting each other through the process of learning the next new normal."

Most local educators will work from school buildings, he said.

"In many ways, online is more difficult and more time consuming than in-person instruction," West said. "Our members are struggling to balance their own health, the needs of their families and work the same way so many people are."

Parents, students and educators will need to be empathetic, he said.

"Try walking in the shoes of the other folks that are learning to adapt along with you," West said. "Remember that this is a tough lift for everyone and that we all need to be kind to each other. Getting frustrated is natural, but directing that frustration at people that didn't deserve it is only going to up the pressure."

The pandemic has thrown society into uncharted territory, Dr. Michael Levitas of Children's Medical Group said.

Successful virtual school experiences may vary among households because of circumstances or health risk factors of people that live in each home, he said via email.

Some students will thrive educationally in a virtual learning environment, or a blended virtual and in-person teaching model, Levitas said.

"Other students will prefer conventional, pre-pandemic style in-school teaching," he said.

"Over the next year, thousands of school systems in America will try versions of education never attempted before," Levitas said. "Successful types of learning will be publicized and promoted over time, as we all learn what works best."

Bradley Ditto is an ACPS fourth-grade teacher and works at the school system's help desk.

Allegany County has done an excellent job to provide students with technology, he said.

"At the beginning of this year, it is less about the work and more about the confidence of the students and their abilities to learn the technology and build connections," Ditto said via email.

Teachers miss their students and look forward to soon connecting with them, he said.

"We can't wait for the day we get to see (students) in person," Ditto said.

Lori Brown is an English teacher and department chair at Allegany High School.

Balanced accountability for instructors and learners is the goal of a strong online learning community, she said.

"When I first started teaching via an online medium, I thought my time would be unleashed," she said. "What I found was that the experience was opposite -- my time became consumed meeting the needs of learners and preparing content to be clearly communicated in different ways than before."

Organization has always been a natural safeguard for Brown.

"Therefore, my presentations, assignments and expectations are consistent throughout a course, whether online or face-to-face," she said. "However, as students found themselves facing much more independent accountability, I found myself responding to the same student concerns and questions repeatedly."

Forming a network with adults who help hold students accountable "is the accelerant," Brown said.

"Together, we share the same goal -- the learning of students and their personal growth."

Jennifer Rinker is president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Cash Valley Elementary School.

She and her husband tailored education needs to meet the personalities of each of their four children.

Rinker homeschools two of her daughters, one in seventh, the other in eighth grade.

Her son in fifth grade, and daughter in second grade, attend public schools.

While she expects the upcoming virtual school year to be a bit easier than when it was new in the spring, there's still a level of trepidation that comes with not knowing what to expect.

To help reduce anxiety, Rinker said children need to be given a regular, daily schedule.

"It's key for parents to make sure that is being followed," she said.

Rinker also said parents should communicate with and be supportive of teachers.

"This is just as crazy for them as it is for us," she said.

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