Healthy New Albany Magazine July/August 2020

Page 18

on the path

By Caitlyn Blair

The New Normal Navigating post-quarantine life in New Albany

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photo courtesy of Patty Randall

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nown for its excellence in education, low crime rates “As a teacher, I loved looking at the various skill sets they and thriving businesses, the pride that New Albany resi- had,” she says. “We had an obstacle and we made it an opdents feel for their community is unwavering. portunity.” Some aspects of this city have changed, however, as the While the exact future of school proceedings is uncertain, COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe. In order to find a there is no uncertainty about whether NAPLS teachers and safe, healthy new life after quarantine, the city must evolve to staff will do their best to create a safe and motivational learning meet residents’ needs, especially in areas such as the New environment. Albany International Business Park, community development “I’m not sure what the future format of our school will be and schooling. for next year, but I do know I work with an extremely gifted Patty Randall, who has been a seventh-grade teacher for New AlbanyPlain Local Schools for the past 18 years, has needed to adapt to online learning and the educational changes that are in store for New Albany students. Randall says the biggest challenge has simply been not being there with her students. “Each of my classes is like a big family and we take care of each other – we grow, we laugh and we learn together,” she says. “So, when COVID hit and we were remote learning, not being able to reassure each other in our usual physical space, that was hard.” Due to the pandemic’s strong and quick arrival in Ohio, teachers were forced to figure out this new learning model on their own and on the spot. “In college, you take many courses on classroom management and how to engage a student who has disengaged,” Randall says. “We had nothing on how to stop your toddler from brushing your hair as you are trying to reinforce with your students the importance of connotation in poetry, or what do you do when your dog’s lunch starts to disagree with him while you are leading a discussion on symbolism.” When it came to transitioning the daily routine to online schooling, Randall’s goal was to host two virtual meetings per week, opting to reduce the size of the meetings after some time to better accommodate student needs and avoid internet connection problems. She asked her students to email her the names of two classmates they felt comfortable working with and two classmates who Patty Randall teaches Caroline Siegfried, Maggie Rolwing, Addy McCollister and Anna Ryzenman virtually during the pandemic. they wanted to get to know better.


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Healthy New Albany Magazine July/August 2020 by CityScene Media Group - Issuu