Open Letter to Parents

Re: 2020-2021 School Year

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the new school year!! The two exclamation marks are representative of us, trying to pump ourselves up, too. We know, this Back to School is not the way we would like for it to be either. We feel for you and we hear you. Most of us are parents, too, with our own children in distance learning. We hear your concerns and frustrations; we have the same ones. Nevertheless, we have a better plan this time. It is not like COVID teaching when the rug was ripped from under us and we floundered here and there.

We, as educators, appreciate your patience, understanding, and partnership through distance learning. It is not an ideal situation for any of us: Educators, students, and parents alike. If it were safe - well-funded classrooms where teachers are provided with PPEs, large classrooms to have students socially distanced at 6 feet, sinks, clean ventilation, etc., we would all be in the classroom. Trust us, we want to provide live, in-person instruction as much as your children want to be at school to play and socialize with their friends. Until it is safe to do so, we will have distance learning, and we’re going to make the best of this situation. Your attitude toward distance learning will greatly affect your children. So, let’s try our best to stay positive with extra doses of grace. We know that we will be flexible and full of grace for all of our students.

Please recognize that the majority of educators have been working non-stop over the summer to learn necessary educational technology to make sure that we can best reach our students - your kids - across a screen. We attended conferences, paid out of our own pockets. We purchased new microphones, headphones, green screens, programs, etc. in hopes to provide the best learning experience for our students. Our educator Facebook groups have been growing wildly, where we share our creations for free for other educators. Those of us who are swifter and savvier in educational technology have been training others and/or providing tips for tool usage. Multiple professional associations have also been providing free or low-cost professional development so that we can all feel more prepared for the new school year. As we make a shift in our instructional models from in-person learning to distance learning, we would really appreciate it if you, as parents, make a shift, too, in your participation in your child’s education. If anything, this is a time to embrace the community and be partners with educators in your children’s learning journey.

To clarify, distance learning does not mean that you are homeschooling your children. Your children’s teachers know the standards, provide them with activities and assignments, and use various forms of assessment to measure student growth toward those goals. Your role as parents would be to assist your children in logging on to the meetings (let the young ones do the clicking so that they can become independent in about 10 days) and to practice the skills they learned during the day. How do you know which skills your children have learned? Most schools have an online platform that we are using to keep all of the assignments streamlined. Your district, school, or teachers may be offering training specifically for you so that you can navigate your way around their provided resources. Look out for that information. Remember, this is time for a partnership with your children’s teachers. We need your support just as much as you need us to teach your children. [If you were homeschooling your children, you would find the activities, assignments, and assessments that meet the specific grade-level standards.]

We hear your concerns, especially at the early elementary level. How will your children learn to properly hold a pencil and write letters correctly? How will they learn to read, let alone count, when the teacher is teaching from across a screen? More importantly, how will the kids be expected to sit across from a screen and pay attention to the teacher the entire time? Here’s the thing, we are teachers. This is our passion and superpower. As adults, we know that having to sit across a screen for an extended time is difficult, so of course, we are going to have breaks for the kiddos! Even in-person, we were not teaching for the entire 6-7 hours of the school day. There were times for independent or group work, times for sharing with classmates, etc. You bet that we will be trying our very best to make learning engaging across the screen. We will be demonstrating proper pencil grip, creating videos that demonstrate the stroke sequence for writing letters, asking our students to use various tech tools to demonstrate they know these sequences and produce the letter sounds to help them with foundations in reading. We know our craft and we will be demonstrating and modeling the use of these edtech tools to your children before we let them complete tasks independently. Just as you may talk to your child about their school day, as a partner in your child’s education, you can help reinforce the proper pencil grip and letter formation. Talk with your children to understand the new materials they have learned. Have grace and BE POSITIVE about the learning experience that your child is experiencing. There is a learning curve and it will take time to get accustomed to the new norm. No, it is not the same as in-person, but you know, in a way, your children may actually experience a lot more flexibility in their learning than before.

As educators, we are aware of the emotional toll that distance learning may have on our students. We are building in social-emotional learning questions, discussions, and activities to listen to and validate their feelings. We are creating student-centered assignments that are meaningful with extensions to let their creativity shine. We are tirelessly working to ensure that your student would have the best learning experience in a not-so-ideal learning situation. Previously, we have transformed dull classrooms with our teacher magic where the learning space became colorful, exciting, and filled with resources. We are about to transform online learning, too. We understand that distance learning means having your child at home when you may not necessarily be able to stay home due to work schedules. We understand that they may be with grandparents, uncles and aunties, or possibly in the care of older siblings. We are in the same predicament with our own school-age children who are at home, who we are neglecting while we are attentive to teaching your children uninterrupted. This is not going to be easy; we need to work together.

We ask you humbly to please trust us. Please have faith that we are trying our best. Please support us. We need your positive energy in this new academic journey with our future generation.

We are in distance learning together and we cannot wait to meet your kiddos and learn about them. Please reach out to us individually when you have questions or concerns. Here’s to an amazing year of learning, adapting, and growing mutual understanding.

Sincerely,

Educators