Shortly after this noon’s closed-door meeting of the Aberdeen School Board, I received a robocall from my middle school principal reciting this information about how we’ll keep kids learning during the coronavirus shutdown:
The Aberdeen School District is committed to serving our students and will move to providing flex learning opportunities while schools are closed. While these days cannot replace face-to-face instruction, they do provide a continuous learning model. The provided lessons and assignments will align to S.D. content standards and meet current classroom expectations and learning objectives. Flex learning materials and complete instructional details will be available for pick up at your child’s school as follows:
Tuesday, March 24
- 4-5 p.m. Families Last Name A-G
- 5-6 p.m. Families Last Name H-O
- 6-7 p.m. Families Last Name P-Z
Wednesday, March 25
- 9-10 a.m. Families Last Name A-G
- 10-11 a.m. Families Last Name H-O
- 11-12 p.m. Families Last Name P-Z
A limited number of individuals will be allowed to enter school buildings at one time. Families should limit the number of individuals entering the building and must not enter if experiencing flu-like symptoms or suspect exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Please pick up all learning materials, instruments, and medication. If you are unable to pick up materials at the times provided, please contact your school.
While schools are closed, the District’s Food Service program will provide complimentary “grab and go” meals for ALL students. Pick-up locations will be at each elementary school from 11:30-1:00, Lakeside Estates from 11:15-12:00, and Park Village from 12:15-1:00. Meals will be handed out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (while schools are closed) with the menus posted on the District website. Each distribution day will provide 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches for each student. Students should be present for meals to be distributed.
Please watch for additional communication through:
- Website: https://aberdeen.k12.sd.us/
- School Messenger emails
- Information from your child’s teacher
All of this information will be sent to your e-mail and posted on the District website. Thank you again for your flexibility during this time away from school [Aberdeen School District, “Coronavirus/Covid-19 Update,” 2020.03.19].
Strangely, I’m more excited to hear that the school district is using its resources to maintain its vital function of providing healthy meals to local kids than I am to see we have to truck home a sack of activities aligned to state content standards. I am eager to queue up Tuesday after work to learn what “flex learning opportunities” entail and just how much “flex” is in these “opportunities.” I’ve been relishing the opportunity for all young South Dakotans to try John Taylor Gatto’s unschooling, to break away from the frenzied patchwork of quick-cut activities in the regular assembly line classroom and enjoy a few days (or weeks?) of self-directed learning with lots of unclocked, unbelled periods of quiet, sustained reading of good books (not snippets of carefully crafted and curated modern morality tales, but entire books, several-hundred-page novels, epic narratives that train long-term attention!). We’ll see how well the schools do at taking advantage of this new, dispersed learning environment to coach kids through learning experiences that cannot happen in the regular classroom.
Lunch is an over-rated meal. These schools need to be reaching out to the kids who aren’t being breakfasted properly. And when they make up vats of waffles and hashbrowns they can do it en mass in the kitchens of the junior high schools.
The unschooling link led to a very interesting blog. Thanks.
I’ve seen good teachers do similar things for a long time. It’s about how to involve students in the community and roll with whatever pops up from there.
Do you have anything in particular in mind for your children? Maybe a neighborhood thing?
I am finding for myself that the biggest personal challenge in this new environment is how to make positive use of it. Like everyone else, I’ve had to make notable adjustments to my day. I’m very lucky that my income is not affected since I am retired, but my social life crippled. So I am searching for creative ways to engage my mind and interest in a solo setting. I find it crucial that I have focus. At this time, that’s it. So far, so good.
Best of luck to you and your family with this.
Debbo, I won’t propose any kind of neighborhood activity that brings kids together in groups. Any group activities should be adapted to online interaction.
But Abraham Lincoln didn’t need collaborative learning. He carried books home and read by himself. One of the great advantages I see in this educational opportunity is that we can decouple our children’s learning from the schedule and demands of delivering material to and managing multiple children at the same time. Our kids now don’t have to be distracted by bells, schedules, and other kids getting off task. They don’t have to sit in one chair in one room and ask permission to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. They can just read and write and create and follow their interests, the way John Taylor Gatto recommended.
Now that won’t always work: kids will need some guidance. They’ll need parents to keep an eye on their progress and make sure they aren’t totally ignoring their lessons and just playing video games. But break kids away from the strictures of formal education in our jail-like schools, give them the freedom to study more on their own time and initiative, and the kids may surprise us with their curiosity.
The Aberdeen School District provides this information about the “flexible learning” plan:
According to that FAQ sheet, the state will count “flex learning” planned by the schools toward the total class time required by law.
It sounds like the Aberdeen school system is doing the best they can in extraordinary circumstances and very little notice.
Educators are incredible people. ❤❤❤
J K Rowling gives open license for teachers to read Harry Potter on line. Bet this will cost her some pesos, but good for her.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/488794-jk-rowling-grants-open-license-for-teachers-reading-harry
Michigan says its K-12 students won’t earn seat time for learning activities done while the schools are closed:
Under that rule, if schools have to be closed half the time to prevent the spread of covid-19, seniors won’t be able to graduate until December.
That seems particularly heartless. There goes the motivation for students to do remote learning.
Practically, I don’t know how Michigan can help move kids along through the school year other than allowing every parent to take out a home school application.