It’s been exactly one month since many students in Idaho set foot in their classrooms. The abrupt close meant teachers didn’t get to say goodbye to students, and certainly had no lesson plans ready for online classrooms.
Loren Bailey teaches third grade in the Boise School District. She said there wasn't much guidance when the district closed March 15.
"Just treat it like snow days, basically, and we'll figure it out later," she said.
Bailey — and many other teachers — quickly started making calls to students, prioritizing some she knew might need to know how to get meals and other resources.
As coronavirus shutdowns swept across Idaho, the soft close of schools and late-March spring break gave Boise schools 10 days to roll out plans for distance learning. "Phase I' started March 30 with minimal lesson plans provided by the district.
"I looked at the third grade one so I would know what's being sent to my students," Bailey said. "It's appropriate. It's Common Core, it's appropriate for this time of year. However, not everyone in third grade is where they should be."
"Phase II" started Monday. There are more learning materials and individual grade-level content for junior high and high school students, who were previously grouped in two-year sections. Content is all the same by grade-level, to keep learning opportunities equally accessible to all students. Bailey says her role has changed, from leading her own classroom to supporting the district-wide plan.
"I had a conversation this morning with a mom, and we've set up a time when I can do a Google Hangout with her child and help explain the materials in a way that makes sense to him, because when she's trying to explain it to him, he just cries. There's a lot of frustration there," Bailey explained.
The district distributed laptops to qualifying students last week, and said printed copies of all educational material will be available for pickup if devices or internet access are unavailable.
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