This school year has been anything but conventional for both students and teachers. Many classes involve hands-on learning and group activities to help engage students. With the pandemic, this is unable to happen in many classes because of safety precautions that are in place. Teachers have had different hurdles that have had to overcome such as changing their classrooms and how they teach their students. Overall, teachers have had to learn how to use new technology in order to teach students when they are remote learning. They have learned how to make instructional videos, use sites like FlipGrid, Jamboard, and Quizizz. 

When students are at home a big challenge being faced in world language classes is the conversation aspect of the class. Spanish teacher, Mrs. Kate Germond said, “This has been the most challenging aspect for me, creating a “conversation” between students who are in school and students who are at home.” Students are able to learn using new programs that allow them to speak in the language that they are learning. In Spanish teacher, Mr. Ben Shoudy’s classroom he would usually have students working in groups, doing activities 1 on 1, and sharing materials that are not possible this school year. He has been able to get creative and find a different way for students to learn Spanish.

For the art classes, a big challenge has been how little time there has been in the classroom. Students are getting a longer class block however it is only occurring once a week in person. Projects often take a lot of hands-on time and since students have only been in the classroom one day a week it has made it slightly difficult. In order for students in the pottery classes to get a “classroom experience” when they are at home, the art department decided to send students home with a clay art kit. This has given students more of an opportunity to learn hands-on even when they are not in school. “The block is stretching our attention span and allowing more time for hands-on learning,” art teacher, Mr. Ryan Bothamley stated. Since these classes are very hands-on the longer blocks have allowed them to get more work done while in the classroom. 

In the music department, precautions have been put into place which has limited the amount of time that students are able to practice. Making the block periods harder for this class since it is not a rule in place in other classes. Music teacher, Ms. Erin Schilling has started using a website called Music First Classroom which has allowed students to continue practicing while learning remotely. 

Teachers and students have been working together to overcome this situation. Most classes have had to change different aspects of the class to be Covid-19 friendly. The Coronavirus has had a great impact on the way that students are learning however teachers are going that extra mile for students. Remote learners have still been able to get a similar experience with the use of technology.