MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

By Andy Hinds

If you aren’t chilled to the bone by memories of your own middle school experience, just imagine going through it while sequestered at home, relying on a finicky internet signal as your only connection to your teachers and peers. That’s what many American students in 2020 are currently facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those in San Diego Unified school district.

Halfway through the second quarter at Roosevelt International Middle School, the reviews are coming in from students, teachers, and families; and the consensus is that, relative to the general hellscape that is 2020, pandemic school is going pretty well. With the caveat that the COVID era has been personally tragic, economically devastating, and at the very least majorly disruptive to millions of people, it is clear that bright spots and glimmers of hope abound at Roosevelt.

In the case of academic classes at Roosevelt, the content varies little from in-person curriculum, even as the format is a drastic departure from traditional school. Google Classroom, Zoom, and other learning platforms comprise the classroom and texts, and students communicate with their teachers via email, chat, or virtual office hours. The schedule has been modified to prevent burnout and confusion from too many Zoom meetings: instead of the usual six classes per day in a semester system, students take three intensive classes per day (four if they take an elective), and follow a quarter system. With decreased time in the (virtual) classroom, kids are expected to complete more work independently than they normally would.

Despite the obvious drawbacks of isolation from their peers, some students recognize upsides to online school. Eighth grader Toby Newlin and Seventh grader Rivka Alaya both sited the lack of social “drama” as an unexpected bonus that decreases stress and allows them to focus on their work. However, Newlin notes, “I now have added drama at home, like my mom looking over my shoulder.” Still, missing their friends—and the inability to make new ones—was the most frequent complaint from students interviewed for this story.

While parents tend to struggle

Vice Principal Reyes and Principal Steinberger greet new students at Roosevelt International Middle School’s Drive-Through Welcome Day

with the amount of screen time required of their children—and how they can help keep them focused on “school” internet despite the siren song of “fun” internet—they are largely impressed with efforts of the school district, the administration, and Roosevelt teachers in developing an entirely new teaching model since the country was blindsided by the virus last spring. Geena Pearson, whose son is in sixth grade, singles out “consistent communication” as a major aspect of Roosevelt’s success in dealing with the hardships inflicted by the pandemic, noting that Principal Steinberger and RooFriends (the school foundation) have “exceeded expectations” in this regard. Ms. Pearson added that the online classes have been “working out pretty seamlessly for [her] son,” and that “he’s loving all his teachers.” She was especially surprised at how “engaging and challenging virtual PE was.” PE and Music classes are perhaps the most unrecognizable from last year, relying on exercise challenges, workout videos, and in the case of Music, online music production and composition platforms where kids make and share their own music in addition to practicing their actual instruments.

Roosevelt serves families from the uptown area of San Diego and beyond, and is located adjacent to the world famous San Diego Zoo. But in some ways, its physical attributes are currently irrelevant, since most students haven’t been on campus at all this year. Nonetheless, the sense of community transcends the limitations of fully online classes, as teachers, administrators, and staff use their expertise and passion to keep students engaged and families connected.

Principal Bernard Steinberger, who started working at Roosevelt this spring, just three weeks before in-person school was shut down, says that the most surprising aspect of this strange era has been the kindness and understanding that the school community has shown toward one another. “I miss that energy of interacting with kids in person,” he says, adding that he is “proud and grateful” for the effort that the students and staff are putting into making this a meaningful school year. Steinberger says an unexpected positive aspect of moving almost every aspect of school online has been higher than usual parental involvement. Back-toschool nights and “town hall” meetings have had record turnout, Mr. Steinberger reports, “presumably because it’s much easier for families to log into a Zoom meeting than to drive to school on a weeknight.” Obviously, everyone is yearning for a return to “normal” school, but Mr. Steinberger appreciates the lessons of this crisis, including the effective use of online learning and communication platforms. “Education in this country will change forever because of this,” he predicts.

For History and Social Studies teacher Francisco Garcia, the struggle is a matter of social conscience. “Truly one of the biggest challenges is maintaining a sense/of normalcy while I teach—when in fact we are living through a period of societal uncertainty. I feel a responsibility as a teacher to make my students feel safe and hopeful; staying positive is crucial.” Mr. Garcia is concerned that internet connectivity issues continue to be a hindrance to learning; but reports that his class attendance and student engagement is solid despite technology glitches.

English teacher Jennifer Peterson says that the biggest challenge for her this year has been the additional class preparation. “I knew I would have to totally transform the way I teach in order to successfully connect with and challenge my students in an online platform,” she says, “so I spent a lot of my summer doing so, and I continue to plan into the evenings many days despite the fact that I am part time this year (for the first time in my career) due to [budget] cuts.” This workload is in addition to the increasingly complicated parenting demands of her own children, who are going to school online while she works from home. Ms. Peterson has been pleasantly surprised by the extent to which she has been able to connect with students in the virtual classroom, and how much she can differentiate and personalize instruction using online learning platforms like Flocabulary, Nearpod, Screencastify, Newsela, and Flipgrid. Perhaps confirming what parents have long suspected, Ms. Peterson admits that the “mute” button can be an effective classroom management tool that offsets some of the additional stress of online teaching.

The current plan with San Diego Unified schools is to increase in-person instruction to the students who need the most help, and ramp up to a “Phase 2” reopening in late January. Of course, all of that depends on the trajectory of infection rates, which is currently far from ideal. Although it seems like there is not much we can do to affect this trend, Ms. Peterson has a homework assignment for us all that definitely can’t hurt: “Wear your mask! Teachers want to be back in the classroom with our students. A lot of us have our own children we are caring for at home while trying to continue to teach other people’s children. We love our jobs and understand the struggle working parents are going through. Let’s all commit to one another’s health and wear our masks so we can ALL go back to school.”

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i ADVERTISING INQUIRIES BRAD WEBER | 619-375-2889 BRAD@LOCALUMBRELLA.COM i GRAPHICS & DESIGN BRAD@LOCALUMBRELLA.COM i EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS BRAD@LOCALUMBRELLA.COM WYATT EARP The following is a work of historical fiction based on real life events and places frequented by Wyatt Earp in the late 1800’s in California.

You know my name. Legendary lawman, O.K. Corral, big mustache, friends with Doc Holiday. No, no I’m not Kurt Russell (who is that by the way, it’s 1887), it’s really me, Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp. Just Wyatt Earp is fine, you ain’t my momma don’t use my middle name. I’ve had a lot of adventures in my day, I left Tombstone, Arizona some time ago. Tombstone left a bad taste in my mouth, I lost my brothers Morgan and Virgil, and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral has defined my life. Josephine (my current wife) and I didn’t feel right, so we headed for greener pastures as the saying goes. We stopped in Idaho for a mining venture but that died out after some time, which is why we ended up in California. San Diego looked to be a profitable place to settle down, California was ripe for expansion. The railroad is being developed and a massive real estate boom is underway. That’s where we find ourselves today…

I awoke with a start and the cold sweats as I got out of bed at the Brooklyn Hotel in San Diego, California. I had been up all night at the Oyster Bar, one of several properties that I own where I offer a variety of games, blackjack, poker, keno, and prostitutes. The Golden Poppy brothel is upstairs at the Oyster Bar, owned by my acquaintance Madam Cora. Each room painted a different color, Madam Cora requires the ladies to match their garments to the room color, making for an elegant experience (all true). My mustache sizzled from the countless cigars I smoked last night but I made close to $1000 ($25,000 in today’s money).

I slipped my boots on, brand new alligator skin (they cost a pretty penny and I know a guy) and sat my hat on my head. I walked out of the Brooklyn Hotel onto the streets. With the sun at my back, I strolled down main street, it was dusty but lively. The area was known as the Stingaree (later adopted to The Gaslamp Quarter) ; we are the area of undesirables. Plenty of gambling halls, brothels, and a number of drug peddlers. As a former lawman, I believe in upholding the law but I do enjoy a lady of the night (very true). My life was very busy with managing gambling halls, boxing matches, horse racing, so every once and awhile, yes I might need a prostitute to relieve some stress. Keep pushing my buttons so we can settle it in a gunfight and surprise, I don’t lose those.

Today was going to be a quiet day, busy night. I decided to walk down to my favorite breakfast joint in town and order some eggs. It was a small place, somewhat run-down but the food was excellent. It was run by Mexicans that had come to California from Tijuana where I often referee boxing matches. Maria came to my table to take my order, she was in her 30’s, dark hair and skin, she was the sweetest.

“What can I get for you today hun”, she said with a slight accent.

“Just some eggs and coffee darling, thanks.” I replied back. (Do all waitresses call their customers hun?)

I crossed my boots over one another and opened up the newspaper as I waited for breakfast. Sadly most of the stories were the same; President Grover Cleveland Corrupt, West is the Best, Gold Gold Gold. So much fake news today, I hope in the future we have some clarity. At this moment, a man walked into the restaurant. He looked weathered, dusty, like he’d been traveling for some time. He took a seat opposite the room from me and gave me a nod.

“You new in these parts my good man” I asked the worn wanderer.

“Yes, indeed I am Wyatt… and I have a proposition for you” he replied with a hand on his gun.

To be continued…

FOSTER FAMILIES PROVIDE SAFETY AND DEPENDABILITY FOR CHILDREN

The Landis home is a busy place. It’s pizza night and six young children are all very excited about decorating sugar cookies for dessert. A basketball bounces across the family room, nearly missing a puzzle under construction. A light-up ball flashes. A toddler needs a snuggle. This is a typical Monday evening.

Angela and Nate have three children of their own: Russell, 10, Rocco, 8, and Allegra, 6, and three pet dogs. Added to the mix are three foster children, a sibling set of girls with the nicknames “Braveheart,” “Wheels,” and “Boom Boom,” who range from two to six years old.

The couple hadn’t planned on fostering siblings, but when their first placement’s sister needed a safe, loving home, they were asked to consider taking her. They liked the idea of keeping the girls together so they rose to the challenge – then did it again a few months later when they welcomed the third sister into their home. The first sister arrived in late 2017; all three have been with the Landis family since last June.

The couple says that fostering is hard work, but worth doing because they’re helping children in a way that’s very intentional and organized. “Angels has supported us beyond our expectations by providing training, a clinical case manager, and hooked us up with other foster parents,” says An-

Angels Foster Family Network is a non-profit dedicated to providing safe, stable, loving homes for children in San Diego County. You can reach them at (619) 283-8100.

gela. They say they were also pleasantly surprised by how much fostering gave them as a couple and as a family. “There’s so much that’s terrifying, you’d think it would tear a couple apart, but it’s brought us closer together,” says Angela. She says her admiration for her husband has grown as she’s watched him keep his promises and step up to meet the needs of six children. Nate smiles and adds, “Six is more than a crowd. We had to band together.” As if on cue, Nate responds to a scuffle going on behind him. He doesn’t need to turn his head to know who it is, the two older girls, Allegra and Braveheart. “Try to be big girls with that conflict resolution,” he tells them. “You’re smart girls with a lot of words.” Not missing a beat, Nate continues. “This is a challenge we are blessed to make. We have to make every moment count because we have fewer moments to waste.” Angela says that every evening after the children are all tucked in to bed, she and Nate sit together in a rare moment of quiet, and give thanks that they made it through another day.

Angela adds that not only has the couple’s relationship been enhanced by fostering young children, their three children have benefited as well. “It’s been hard and it’s an adjustment, but we also have built-in playdates and have had some incredible talks with our children about domestic violence and drug use,” she says. “They’ve also grown to really appreciate what we provide,” noting that things like consistency, safety, and food are often things children can take for granted.

Fostering is something the Landis family highly recommends to people who have room in their hearts and homes for children who need stability while their biological parents are given the time to get their lives back on track. “You just have to want to help,” says Nate. “You’re not saving anyone, you are providing safety and dependability for the season they are in.”