SASKATOON -- This is the third week of online teaching for students and teachers across the province and there are successes being seen in places where there was initially uncertainty, like at St. John School.
Teaching online is the new normal for Grade 6 teacher Mackenzie Schultz.
This is her first year teaching at St. John, and is only three years into her teaching career, but said she never thought spring classes would look like this.
When news of the school closures came down in March, she was concerned for her students who she has built strong relationships with.
“St. John is a school where students want to come to school and see teachers and peers. They want to be there so, staff here are reaching out and making sure that we still have those relationships with them,” Schultz said.
What happens at home is out of the teacher’s control, but knowing that 80 per cent of the students in Schultz’s class are checking into online classrooms with her gives her a sense of comfort knowing they are alright.
Home life for any student is unknown and making those connections can be challenging, she added.
“We’ve been able to see them. We can see they want to be there and want to participate. They are enjoying it and they miss coming to school and they miss being at school, but they are engaged online.”
St. John principal Leanne McGettigan knew that her school in the city’s Holiday Park area would face unique challenges with online teaching.However, she said the concern isn’t just about how much curriculum is being covered.
“With school ending so abruptly, our main concern was student wellbeing. And then we were concerned about our kids having the opportunity to connect with teachers,” Mcgettigan told CTV News.
While it’s too early to know just how successful online learning is, the staff at St. John are happy they’ve been able to keep students connected with their class and teachers.
