C-Falls teachers weigh in on distance learning transition

Across Montana, bedrooms and living rooms are becoming classrooms.

With Gov. Steve Bullock’s announcement Tuesday of a two-week extension of his stay-at-home order, parents and teachers are continuing to face the dilemma of how to deliver education to the thousands of Montana school children forced to spend weeks away from school.

In Columbia Falls, elementary teachers at Ruder and Glacier Gateway schools are taking up the challenge, using technology to keep in touch with students and help guide parents through these unprecedented times. From virtual classrooms, to video instruction and phone calls, teachers are doing all they can to make sure their students are continuing to learn.

“I have shed tears while missing my students. This is what I have wanted to do my whole life and I have been in a classroom with children for 28 years. This is what I love, so having to do it without the students there is not easy for me,” Ruder kindergarten teacher Marna Pickard said. “I think kindergarten is a challenging grade level to teach online, but I know this is what is best for everyone. I have gotten a lot of messages and videos about how much my students miss me and school.”

Pickard, who has a seventh-grader and a high school senior of her own, has been using the popular app Class Dojo to give out assignments and help parents maintain a structured learning environment for their children. In addition, she has also been sending out as many as four learning videos per day to her students and making frequent phone calls to check on progress.

“It’s going well. It’s not the ideal situation, but we need to take care of everyone’s health and make sure we are all safe. That’s our goal,” Pickard said. “I know it is overwhelming for the parents, so I have tried to give them as much guidance and encouragement as I can. I tell them that if they are feeling overwhelmed, they should stop for a little while. The mental well-being of both the parents and the students is very important.”

IN ADDITION to the online aids, both Ruder and Glacier Gateway schools have been allowing parents to pick up work packets for their children full of worksheets and assignments.

Ruder special education teacher Tracy Swope says the school shutdown has been especially hard on her students, all of whom have their own individual education plans. She says that finding out how to meet their specific needs from a distance can be a real challenge with many things like speech and occupational therapy being virtually impossible.

“It’s hard when you are worried about your students. Parents have been phenomenal, but they are trying to do our jobs at home while also doing their own jobs. It’s a rough situation.

“Many of the parents have told me they are feeling overwhelmed, but I know they are trying very hard,” she said. “We don’t want to put more on the parent’s plate, but we also want the kids to still have the opportunity to learn. It’s a delicate balance. Everyone is in the same boat and we can only do the best we can. Parents just need to do what they can, when they can.”

DANA SHIELDS, who teaches third- to fifth-grade math has turned her oldest son’s bedroom into her new classroom. While her younger son finishes his college semester from the bedroom next door and her husband works in the home’s office, Shields spends her time either online or on the phone helping students work through equations. While her classes had already been using a program called Zearn to help learn math, Shields says she has already been on the phone with most all of her students already helping them and answering their questions.

Her biggest concern is how students will be forced to cope with having to keep up with the work on their own.

“I think the toughest thing is making sure the kids are held accountable for the work we need them to do from week to week. Getting everything set up for the remote, online education has been chaotic, but I think it is finally starting to settle down,” Shields said. “I think the kids that can work on their own and are self-regulated are going to do OK, but those who really need interaction with other people and have a need for instant feedback, the transition to remote learning is going to be a bit tougher.”

Ruder second-grade teacher Ashley Nadeau says she has been learning how to use Google Classroom and how to do video calls to stay in touch with her students. While 18 of her 21 students have signed into the program, she is finding it difficult to keep up with teaching her students while also helping her two children, ages 7 and 9, keep up with their studies.

“It has been quite the juggling act to make sure my children are keeping up with their school work while also being there for my students. It is very important to me to be able to connect with my students, so video calls are a must,” she said. “It’s super sad. My classroom is so quiet and bare. It’s disheartening, but we are all making history right now. Nobody has ever seen anything like this. We are doing the best we can to keep going and provide these kids with structure and consistency.”

Glacier Gateway first-grade teacher Jarrod Calabrese has been looking into online resources for his students as well as looking for tips from homeschooling websites and articles.

He recommends parents spend 20 to 30 minutes per core subject working with their kids each day and leaving afternoons for fun projects like arts and crafts and physical activities. He says that parents should keep in mind that just because teachers are not at school in their classrooms does not mean they are not working harder than ever to educate their students.

“I have heard rumors that teachers are taking a vacation and I have to disagree with that,” he said. “We are doing everything we can to be there for our students and their parents.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.