Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to interesting times.
As we try to take care of ourselves and our families we also need to think ahead for the welfare of our students.
The digital divide, even if students have access to wifi and a computer will probably be exacerbated by school closure. I don't believe any of us are under the impression that student learning is going to be the same from whatever brilliant remote lessons we concoct as it would be if face to face. To that end, I encourage you to focus not on typical work during this time, but rather we should give students enrichment opportunities, open-ended study, challenging puzzles and content that helps students think about the world differently. This is not business as usual. Maybe we should use this time to challenge the system of test and punish by teaching/presenting/making available materials that we think students need instead of what is usually mandated. It is hard to imagine that state testing can go forward when/if we return to school, so let's not follow that script.
Give it some thought. Do we further the divide between students who have supervision and support at home and those who are now taking on parenting responsibilities with limited computer/internet support? Or do we do our best to support our students through interesting work that can help students to be curious.
In Union,
Ari Klein
CHTU President