We asked parents, students, and educators to share what their home learning environments look like as nearly all schools are shut down for extended periods because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Maddie Judge, a 2nd grader in Baltimore, Md., has built her own schedule and is now working on a remote learning platform. (Courtesy of Katie Judge)
Maddie Judge, a 2nd grader in Baltimore, Md., has built her own schedule and has replicated other traditions of a school day. (Courtesy of Katie Judge)
Cindy Buchanan, program director for library services in the Aldine Independent School District near Houston, gets assistance from her pup, Zilly, as she works with the curriculum team to develop learning options for students. (Courtesy of Cindy Buchanan)
Michael Mueller, an 8th grade math teacher in Minnesota, has been working to adapt his curriculum for distance learning. He’s been working on recording lessons to push out to students and preparing assessments, checks for understanding, and discussions. His main concern is how to equitably give grades to students. He’s worried whether it’s fair to grade these students who have never done online learning. (Courtesy of Michael Mueller)
Julie Carter, a mom of four boys (grades 3, 5, 6 and 9) in San Antonio, Texas, has had her sons reading, playing in the rain, and discussing feelings and emotions while waiting for their teachers to post their work as the district starts distance learning. Carter is also an SEL behavior coach for the North East Independent School District and has been working on creating resources for teachers and parents in the district to use. (Courtesy of Julie Carter)
Amelia Frenkel, a mom in Arlington, Va., has scheduled lesson plans for her two sons for each day. (Courtesy of Amelia Frenkel)
Amelia Frenkel, a mom in Arlington, Va., tries to replicate her sons’ lesson plans from their schools, including some sensory activities from a local Montessori school. (Courtesy of Amelia Frenkel)
Julie Carter, an SEL behavior coach for the North East Independent School District looks at free online games to include in resources she is creating for teachers and parents in the district to use. (Courtesy of Julie Carter)
Eliza Smith, a 6th grader at Clawson Middle School in Clawson, Mich. organized a virtual lunch table with her friends so they could all eat together and talk. Her teachers have been passing on assignments through Google Classroom and she’s also been doing some independent science experiments thanks to random YouTube videos. (Courtesy of Brian Smith)
Amy Parkinson, dean of students at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke, N.H., has been conferencing with her departments and administrative team, finding resources to support her teachers and students, and trying to reach out and support school community members. Her cat Pixie keeps her company. (Courtesy of Amy Parkinson)
Margaret Carpenter, the librarian for H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Va., has been pulling together countless resources for students during the closures. (Courtesy of Margaret Carpenter)
Julie Carter’s four boys (grades 3, 5, 6, and 9) have been spending time playing in the rain while waiting for their teachers to post their work as the district starts distance learning. (Courtesy of Julie Carter)
Jennifer DesRochers, a science teacher for Dalton High School in Georgia who teaches anatomy, environmental science and biology has been trying to figure out how to translate labs into online activities, which has been quite challenging. (Courtesy of Jennifer DesRochers)
Marie Erickson, a Secondary Education English major at Catholic University, is completing her student teaching remotely. “This has been a big transition and not exactly what I envisioned as part of my student teaching experience, but it has made me so proud of the ingenuity and creativity of teachers who are making distance learning work. Our students are working hard from home, and I am grateful to be here for them—and I’m also grateful that my dog Petie keeps me company in this new setup.”