Educators share their stories of teaching through a pandemic on Education Mindset. By Tom Gerhardt, NDU Communications
Education in North Dakota shifted dramatically March 15th, when Governor Doug Burgum, by executive order, announced that K-12 schools would close for a week to help slow the spread of coronavirus. That led to another announcement a week later that schools would close indefinitely. Soon after, the governor ordered schools closed for the year. Our colleges and universities followed suit. School districts quickly developed plans for distance learning that led to the lightning-fast transformation of education in North Dakota. Educators, students, and parents were all thrust into an unexpected teaching and learning environment. In an effort to capture a historical snapshot of the unprecedented change, North Dakota United began a new podcast called Education Mindset. Host Tom Gerhardt decided to zoom in on the McKenzie County Public School District in Watford City
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to help provide perspective. It’s not the largest district in the state, nor the smallest. It’s in the heart of oil country which brings in students and families from around the world. Oil prices plummeted at the time, imposing more stress and uncertainty upon Watford City as it dealt with the impacts of layoffs and economic uncertainty — disrupting the school system and the community. How did educators educate? In a half-dozen episodes, you can listen to high school science teacher Amy Polivka — who is also the president of the Watford City Education Association. Tom also visited with a school counselor, a middle and high school band director, the coordinator of the English Learner program along with a staff member, a kindergarten teacher, and a library media specialist. All are members of North Dakota United.
