Covington LA child photographer {distance learning}
Once upon a quarantine….chapter 3: Distance Learning ?✏️?
Exactly two months ago on March 13th, I picked this sweet girl up from school for the last time. It was a half day for her so I took the afternoon off. She was the second to last one left and I remember the conversation with the teacher on duty about what she thought would happen. She was on her way to a meeting with the school officials.
We walked back to my school because we had to bring sissy some oatmeal cream pies. Our amazing math teacher puts on quite a celebration for Pi Day and so Mattie needed pies to hand out. We ended up staying for quite a few of the festivities and Harley played with the other girls in the school yard. The announcement came on for all students and faculty to report to the gym. My wonderful assistant principal said it was important and to take Harley and she grabbed her by the hand and they skipped off to the gym.
I remember walking in and one of my students said “Mrs. Whitaker it’s happening!”. Obviously, as a Biology teacher they learned about viruses and we talked a lot about the new one and the possibility of schools closing. In the gym our principal told us what to expect IF we were to get notice that schools were closing. Harley found her sister sitting with her friends in the front row of the gym and joined her on her lap. As a parent and a photographer naturally I grabbed my phone and snapped a few photos of them together. Not knowing these would be my last photos I would have of my senior in high school and my kindergartener together in school. We got the notice at 2:30 that afternoon that schools would close.
The next Monday our faculty and administration met and spent the morning ironing out what would distance learning look like for our students. How would we take attendance? Engage our students? Do assessments? What will the format of our classes look like. It was overwhelming to say the least trying to think of how to maintain high standards of education from home while trying to keep up with Harley’s lessons at the same time….her school was doing the same.
Distance Learning
So two months ago on a Tuesday we began. Mattie stayed tucked away working on her classes. Harley and I would wake up early and sit together at the kitchen table to do her studies before my classes. I have to have a routine. She looked forward to saying the prayer and the pledge with her principal and seeing the videos from her teachers. Every day she filled the table with alllll of her supplies. Every color, piece of paper and pencil she owned lol. My classes go from 9-2:30 and we squeezed in what we didn’t finish in the morning during my “planning periods”. Today was our last “class” together ❤️
To say it has been easy would be a lie lol. Today, for example, was quite a day. I just wanted to snap my fingers and disappear. It has been exhausting. I am tired, my students are tired, my girls are tired. BUT it has been rewarding too. I know my students didn’t just end the year abruptly in March. They have been staying busy, working HARD and learning everything they would have if we were still in the classroom and more. I am so grateful to Harley’s teachers too for providing daily virtual lessons and activities for us to complete. I am proud to say with all of the challenges we finished the year STRONG.
It was challenge keeping Harley on task with the million distractions from home but she did so well. I’ve loved watching her celebrate when she succeeded in something she has been struggling with, recognizing a word that she has stumbled on for weeks and applying what she was learning to our everyday. I loved this time together…..but I am SO excited because summer vacation for her and Mattie starts tomorrow and my classes end next week so this exhausted momma/now distance teacher can get a BREAK! ❤️❤️❤️
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Covington LA child photographer {distance learning}