January 2021 | Vol. 7 Iss. 01
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ADAPTATION IS KEY TO STUDENTS’ SUCCESS IN 2020 AND BEYOND By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com
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n March 13, 2020, a decision by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert started a ball rolling that affected learning in 2020 for students, their families, teachers, staff and district staff. The shutdown he announced was only to last two weeks. The two weeks turned into eight weeks or more. After a summer of preparation by the Granite School District (GSD), a new school year started with students in the classroom for four days a week. Friday is teacher prep day and student online day. It didn’t take long until schools, mostly high schools and middle/junior high schools, reached the limit of 15 COVID-19 cases and were shutting down for deep cleaning and forcing all students and teachers back into an online environment. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Nov. 29, 2020 that “at least 72 schools in Utah have had COVID-19 outbreaks and shifted to fully or partially online in response.” Since March, students, families, teachers and districts have had to adapt, often quickly. How has this changing landscape changed learning in 2020?
Best photos of 2020
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Students “The problem is that with the switch to distance [learning] last spring and the back and forth this year, we have many students failing. And the mental issues are real, lots of depression and loneliness going on. We are focusing on putting services in place to fill these gaps,” said Sharla Bynum, Gear Up coordinator at Cottonwood High School. Among the services are additional virtual homework help provided by teachers. Promise SSL offers homework help at the Best Buy Promise SSL Teen Tech Center. Also, the Salt Lake County Library System provides homework help with live tutoring from Brainfuse. Among the services of Brainfuse, a national education organization, are real-time tutors. The library also offers at-home science experiments, math help, and ideas for physical education. American education is interaction focused—interactions between students, interactions between student and teacher, interactions between students, parents and teachers. This year, such interactions are Continued page 5
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In 2020, classroom instruction was on and off. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)
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