Editorial: We can make the best of a difficult situation
By Doug Spoon, Editor Reaction was swift and strong to Wednesday’s decision by the Board of Trustees governing high schools in Menifee th...
http://www.menifee247.com/2020/07/editiorial-we-can-make-the-best-of-a-difficult-situation.html
By Doug Spoon, Editor
Reaction was swift and strong to Wednesday’s decision by the Board of Trustees governing high schools in Menifee that distance (online) learning will be the only option for students entering the school year.
That reaction -- both pro and con -- is understandable. The physical and emotional well-being and the education of our young people is one of the most important aspects of this whole sad, depressing COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting impact of this decision on family members is equally important.
You care, and we get it. As of noon today, the two Menifee 24/7 posts regarding this breaking news on our Facebook page have been viewed by a total of more than 106,000 readers and has prompted more than 2,000 comments. We acknowledge the wide reach of our platform as both an information source and sounding board for residents.
This will be a huge issue in the weeks and months to come – and we pledge to do everything possible to facilitate the dissemination of information that will be factual and complete. Moreover, we pledge to facilitate responsible public discourse on this important topic.
No one wanted this as the only learning option for students starting a new school year – action that might be taken by local elementary and middle school districts as well in the next week or two. Everyone hopes this situation is temporary, and we already have been assured it will be re-evaluated early in the semester.
But the fact is, the decision has been made and concerns about health risks to students and staff in a campus environment are real. On the other hand, just as real are concerns about the educational quality and emotional well-being of students confined to their homes on a personal computer, with limited social interaction and support provided primarily by family members under pressures of their own.
So how can we get past the initial shock and take steps to make the best of the situation? Here are some of the ways we believe Menifee 24/7 can help eliminate confusion, minimize rumors and promote positivity.
We plan to reach out to school administrators to join us for Zoom interviews on various aspects of the distance learning model and planning for the eventual safe reopening of school campuses. Details will be announced soon. Readers will have the opportunity to submit questions and comments that we will direct to the interview subjects in Zoom interviews that will be recorded and posted on our website and Facebook page. Topics we are considering, with the appropriate department head as the interview subject, include:
-- Overall supervision of the distance learning program and monitoring methods.
-- Specifics about the technology behind distance learning.
-- Adaptations in instructional methods, keeping all three potential learning models – traditional, hybrid and distance learning – in mind.
-- Implications for staff, including teachers and classified employee unions.
-- Development of procedures to sanitize materials, maximize social distancing and otherwise create a healthy environment for students and staff when on-campus instruction resumes.
-- Conversations with teachers, parents and students.
-- Information about resources regarding paid tutors and volunteer tutors or “helpers”.
In addition, we will encourage the development of a program involving school counselors, mental health professionals and any other appropriate personnel to provide emotional support among students. This could be done through an online “buddy system” connecting students in pairs or small numbers through safe school online portals.
We believe students need to be able to speak to others who are studying the same subjects, who may want to encourage each other or receive that encouragement, or who simply want to see the face of someone their age on a screen in front of them, with the opportunity to have a conversation.
We will have more information on these plans in the days ahead. We are in the process of establishing an email address for questions and comments strictly about school reopening, and we will have that for you soon. Meanwhile, we urge you to keep an open mind as the plans are being fully developed. Please be respectful in your comments on our Facebook posts and acknowledge the right of others to have opposing opinions.
Plans for aspects of online instruction have been in the works in the Perris Union High School District longer than most realize. This will not be a haphazard plan, as many viewed the instruction that did (or didn’t) take place from March through June, when there was too little time to implement sufficient methods before summer break.
Yes, some teachers had little interaction with students before. That will not be the case this time. We personally know and trust the technology directors at Menifee school districts and believe they will make this work. We believe teachers will make this work. And we will join all of you in holding them accountable to make sure it happens.
In addition to being a professional journalist for more than 40 years, I served as student internship coordinator for college and high school students at a daily newspaper. For 12 years, I was an adjunct journalism professor at Cal Poly Pomona, where I was one of the first to incorporate online learning methods into my instruction. Most recently, I have served as an off-campus advisor for the student newspaper at Mt. San Jacinto College. Granted, most of these experiences at the college level, but I know this can be done at all levels.
Will it be easy? No. Will students, parents and teachers need to get out of their comfort zone and make some sacrifices? Yes.
Will it work? It has to. Because of a virus that is out of our control, we are thrown together in this mess. But we can control how we react to it. Kristen and I are already making plans to assist with the online learning of our own grandchildren here in Menifee. We will be positive and encouraging. The time for complaining in their presence has passed.
We must work collaboratively, both together and apart. We might be apart physically much of the time, but we can be together in spirit and purpose.
Reaction was swift and strong to Wednesday’s decision by the Board of Trustees governing high schools in Menifee that distance (online) learning will be the only option for students entering the school year.
That reaction -- both pro and con -- is understandable. The physical and emotional well-being and the education of our young people is one of the most important aspects of this whole sad, depressing COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting impact of this decision on family members is equally important.
You care, and we get it. As of noon today, the two Menifee 24/7 posts regarding this breaking news on our Facebook page have been viewed by a total of more than 106,000 readers and has prompted more than 2,000 comments. We acknowledge the wide reach of our platform as both an information source and sounding board for residents.
No one wanted this as the only learning option for students starting a new school year – action that might be taken by local elementary and middle school districts as well in the next week or two. Everyone hopes this situation is temporary, and we already have been assured it will be re-evaluated early in the semester.
But the fact is, the decision has been made and concerns about health risks to students and staff in a campus environment are real. On the other hand, just as real are concerns about the educational quality and emotional well-being of students confined to their homes on a personal computer, with limited social interaction and support provided primarily by family members under pressures of their own.
So how can we get past the initial shock and take steps to make the best of the situation? Here are some of the ways we believe Menifee 24/7 can help eliminate confusion, minimize rumors and promote positivity.
We plan to reach out to school administrators to join us for Zoom interviews on various aspects of the distance learning model and planning for the eventual safe reopening of school campuses. Details will be announced soon. Readers will have the opportunity to submit questions and comments that we will direct to the interview subjects in Zoom interviews that will be recorded and posted on our website and Facebook page. Topics we are considering, with the appropriate department head as the interview subject, include:
-- Overall supervision of the distance learning program and monitoring methods.
-- Specifics about the technology behind distance learning.
-- Adaptations in instructional methods, keeping all three potential learning models – traditional, hybrid and distance learning – in mind.
-- Implications for staff, including teachers and classified employee unions.
-- Development of procedures to sanitize materials, maximize social distancing and otherwise create a healthy environment for students and staff when on-campus instruction resumes.
-- Conversations with teachers, parents and students.
-- Information about resources regarding paid tutors and volunteer tutors or “helpers”.
In addition, we will encourage the development of a program involving school counselors, mental health professionals and any other appropriate personnel to provide emotional support among students. This could be done through an online “buddy system” connecting students in pairs or small numbers through safe school online portals.
We believe students need to be able to speak to others who are studying the same subjects, who may want to encourage each other or receive that encouragement, or who simply want to see the face of someone their age on a screen in front of them, with the opportunity to have a conversation.
We will have more information on these plans in the days ahead. We are in the process of establishing an email address for questions and comments strictly about school reopening, and we will have that for you soon. Meanwhile, we urge you to keep an open mind as the plans are being fully developed. Please be respectful in your comments on our Facebook posts and acknowledge the right of others to have opposing opinions.
Plans for aspects of online instruction have been in the works in the Perris Union High School District longer than most realize. This will not be a haphazard plan, as many viewed the instruction that did (or didn’t) take place from March through June, when there was too little time to implement sufficient methods before summer break.
Yes, some teachers had little interaction with students before. That will not be the case this time. We personally know and trust the technology directors at Menifee school districts and believe they will make this work. We believe teachers will make this work. And we will join all of you in holding them accountable to make sure it happens.
In addition to being a professional journalist for more than 40 years, I served as student internship coordinator for college and high school students at a daily newspaper. For 12 years, I was an adjunct journalism professor at Cal Poly Pomona, where I was one of the first to incorporate online learning methods into my instruction. Most recently, I have served as an off-campus advisor for the student newspaper at Mt. San Jacinto College. Granted, most of these experiences at the college level, but I know this can be done at all levels.
Will it be easy? No. Will students, parents and teachers need to get out of their comfort zone and make some sacrifices? Yes.
Will it work? It has to. Because of a virus that is out of our control, we are thrown together in this mess. But we can control how we react to it. Kristen and I are already making plans to assist with the online learning of our own grandchildren here in Menifee. We will be positive and encouraging. The time for complaining in their presence has passed.
We must work collaboratively, both together and apart. We might be apart physically much of the time, but we can be together in spirit and purpose.
