Coping with online teaching at Hamilton County Schools

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Students and parents have had to radically change their mindset and habits when it comes to adapting to the new virtual learning platform instituted when schools were closed.

But teachers and administrators are also having to re-think how their jobs are done as they navigate the COVID-19 territory that’s new to everyone.

News 12’s David Moore has another example of What’s Right With our Schools.

Orchard Knob Elementary: How may I help you?

Principal LaFrederick Thirkill says “It took the coronavirus to change the way that education has been offered in America for the last 60 years.”

“Can we pick up another packet? If you have the chrome book, if you have the chrome book what you can do is email Mr. McKenzie.”

LaFrederick: We also have chrome books that we have issued out to our students. So that they can have access online to their teachers; emailing their teachers, participating in Google classrooms and other various platforms that teachers used to communicate with their students.

“No computer? You say that he has a computer? It is a chrome book but he has no Internet connection at the house. Oh you don’t have Internet connection at the house? None. OK.”

We have packets available here for students who do not have Internet access at home. Or for some of our grandparents who are guardians of students who find that to be a little challenging. So we have the packets here that they can come and pick up. And they bring those back and the teachers provide feedback on that on a weekly basis.

“Be mindful of those parents who are at work. They have their cell phone devices with them at work.”

Now we are at the age with the use of technology in a way that children find very easy to use. It’s the transitioning over to and for the parents and the teachers that has been the learning curve. So corona has required us to learn in a different way and provide instructions in a different way.

“I just want to say thank you to all of you who have participated in today’s faculty meeting.”

LaFrederick: It’s a bitter sweet kind of thing with a silver lining and that it requires teachers to learn something new as we say here every single day. Learn something new. And it also requires them to again and use technology in a different way. And maybe catch up with the way some of the kids are learning.