president
Tom Millard
Warren Tech
Happy April 2022! I was looking back over the past several years. March 2020 - I was at the Vision conference in Kansas City, and Russell Ferguson walked up. We did the toe kick, elbow bump, and fist bump. It became the latest dance move of the decade. March 13th, I returned to Denver and was notified that Jeffco schools was going to quarantine all programs indefinitely due to the latest adventures that we as teachers had to deal with, Covid-19. We spent the next two and a half months learning the new world of education. Remote learning. I, as well as most of you, had to learn to teach car repairs as a virtual education plan. This would be the hardest time for my (and your) students, since they were not able to touch a car to learn how to do electrical diagnosis, transmission repair, and engine repair. Summer of 2020 - We were unable to travel to meet up with industry colleagues, other educators, and vendors of products and services. Fall of 2020/ 2021 school year - We were learning the new world of hybrid education. At Warren Tech, it meant we would have half of our students in person one-half of the week, while they would do online classwork the other half. Having 100 students per class with myself and one other instructor still meant 25 students in person on Monday and Wednesday, as well as online on Tuesday and Thursday. The other half of the students were in class on Tuesday and Thursdays, and online on Mondays and Wednesdays. Another variable, for which we had to adapt, was what happened if the instructors or students tested positive for Covid. We would have to quarantine for 5 to 10 days, and then do online education. I’m sure most of you had the same sort of conditions to deal with. When our students were in class, we all had to wear masks (the new normal), but the students were actually more involved and eager to learn. August 2021 - We returned to the classroom, wearing masks, with a full roster of 50 students per instructor. Classes were Monday thru Friday mornings from 7:30 to 10:30 AM, and Monday thru Thursday, 12:00 until 3:45 PM. The masks made it difficult to discuss things with students, as I was not always able to hear them, they were not always able to hear me, and I was unable to see their faces. The good part of this whole new world is our students are more engaged and motivated to do class time activities. I really believe that the Covid world made my students become more engaged, motivated, and eager to learn. I am hoping all of you had similar positive outcomes from the last two years. Continued on Page 13
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