Lower school teachers at Chesapeake Academy in Irvington have reimagined the essential understandings in digital presentations, authentic activities, and Zoom community gatherings.
Against a backdrop of news briefings and closures designed to slow the course of a global pandemic, a teacher's panic at having to reinvent delivery systems for the last two months of school pales in comparison. But for too many teachers, going digital is like exchanging the most important tools in the toolbox for a box of spare parts and no instruction manual!
Gone are the little temperature checks, the deep intuition, the knowing at a glance if your students are on board and understanding or not. Gone are the shelves filled with materials to address any need that could arise, and the rising tide of peers helping peers that expands a teacher's reach. Poof, the carefully designed classroom has turned into a sibling-riddled homescape filled with wants and needs and worries and PETS!
Enter teachers with dry mouths, wide eyes, and elevated anxiety levels! March was not any classroom teacher's favorite month. What month is it now? To be honest, teachers across the country have risen to meet one of the biggest challenges facing schools in recent history or even history in general. It really is not surprising, though. Teachers are a special breed. We come hard-wired with hope, resilience, and tenacity.
The faculty at Chesapeake Academy spent the last several years prioritizing innovation and growth mindset to hone those skills. So no global pandemic is going to keep them flummoxed for long. Flexibility and adaptability are power skills for this small, tightly knit group of educators. Constructive collaboration and problem-solving reign supreme in the pantheon of skills that guide and sustain this team. So, when Head of School Julianne Duvall reassured her faculty that they were all in this together, they tackled the challenge head-on.
Determined to continue to fulfill the school's mission, teachers designed instruction, offering a variety of learning opportunities in the new distance learning landscape—and they were clearly willing to embrace some professional uncertainty to do it. They began by listening to parents' and students' needs, thinking deeply about how to engage with students, and staying connected through this difficult and unprecedented time.
After a considerable struggle, Chesapeake Academy teachers designed a spectrum of hybrid online/offline programs to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners who are confronting quarantine conditions. (No lie….The first two hours of learning to use the Weebly platform consisted of remembering/recreating my passwords, and Zoom sessions took a while to get the hang of muting and unmuting—what an excellent tool!)
Along the way, faculty members discovered things that will impact the rest of their careers. One of the coolest things about teaching without kids present is the variety of rich opportunities for creative cross-pollination! Together, we are better! Middle school Writers Workshop teachers joined forces to support Chesapeake Academy's middle school writers, and the collaboration is rich! Writer's Workshop classrooms have been transformed using video tutorials on writing skills and interactive journaling labs that integrate the best of the humanities. Students are creating their own primary sources as they record their impressions of a historic period in their lives.
In one lesson, students learn how to use sketches to collect the thoughts and impressions they will write about in their journals. And in another, writers will be learning how journals have shaped our perception of the past, using Diary of Anne Frank and others as examples.
Math lessons also feature engaging video tutorials and offer concrete skills practice and a variety of extensions through projects, journals, and games. Sharing these lessons offers families the chance to learn and problem solve together!
Science students complete labs in kitchens and garages and take advantage of the great outdoors. Literature circles take place in Zoom meetings, and individual learning is carefully guided in Facetime conversations. And lower school teachers have also reimagined the essential understandings in digital presentations, authentic activities, and Zoom community gatherings.
"While we understand and respect that families vary in their priorities for continuing school during this national emergency, our philosophy is 'We provide, you decide!' The goal is to continue to offer engaging growth and a nurturing community. We will get the rest sorted out when the dust settles." explains Head of School Julie Duvall. "There are just times when caring for your community is the best thing you can do."
"The goal is to continue to offer engaging growth and a nurturing community," says Chesapeake Academy's Head of School Julie Duvall.
In every evolution, Chesapeake Academy teachers are still meeting their students where they are and guiding growth in practiced ways. Like all good designs, Chesapeake Academy distance learning will undoubtedly continue to adapt to meet new opportunities and to meet challenges, and this talented group is far from done designing Chesapeake Academy 2.0!
If you are interested in learning more about how a small independent school steps up in a global pandemic, contact Head of School Julie Duvall at jduvall@chesapeakeacademy.org. Although the campus is closed, the team is still hard at work. It is an exciting time at Chesapeake Academy. Give us a call if you want to know how to help!
Chesapeake Academy is an accredited, independent pre-kindergarten 3 & 4 through eighth-grade school located in Irvington, Virginia, that values and embraces cultural and economic diversity. Extended care is available until 5:30 pm. Chesapeake Academy is an affordable option for families, with almost half of current families receiving financial assistance. For more information, contact Mrs. Hilary Scott, Director of Admission, at hscott@chesapeakeacademy.org or call the school at 804-438-5575.
