Third Grade classes Continue at Home
Tue, 04/14/2020 - 9:08am
admin
Kendall Rankin, third grade teacher at Clearbrook-Gonvick, shared her experiences as she is adjusting to teaching from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mrs. Rankin says, “the commute is shorter, but the days are longer.”
She adds, “I desperately miss the buzz of my sixteen third graders coming into my classroom excited about their day. I miss their stories, their jokes, and their laughter. I even miss their constant blurting (those students know who they are!).”
Mrs. Rankin’s third grade students check in with her daily. They do this by choosing an emoji that tells her how they are feeling, and writing about why they feel that way. Mrs. Rankin makes a recording to go with each of the daily tasks students need to accomplish. These are sent to students on Seesaw, an online learning platform.
Besides missing her students, another challenge Mrs. Rankin is finding in the distance learning is not being able to give that extra help to some of her students who may need it.
As she describes it “It is not always easy sending messages back and forth on Seesaw if an assignment is done incorrectly. A teacher doesn’t have that capability of fixing the mistake with them at that exact moment so you can ensure they are understanding the material.”
Like many teachers, Mrs. Rankin hasn’t had much time to work with the Seesaw program. She is continuing to learn more about it. As she learns, she is working to change her online classroom to make it easier for her students.
Despite the challenges of distance learning, Mrs. Rankin is finding some positive things, like being able to spend a little more time with her own kids. She is grateful to her team of coworkers and the administration who are working together during this time to get things done. Mrs. Rankin is also thankful for the families of her students who are working to make the distance learning successful.
Mrs. Rankin said, “These students and families have been phenomenal and have stepped up to the plate to keep things rolling!”