What's the Big Idea?
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What's the Big Idea?
'Consistent and True': A Dispatch From Hawaii
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In which Dan examines the question of schools who can't simply move to online learning in this time of coronavirus and closures. He talks with Kecia McDonald, a middle school educator in Hawaii, about equity, community, and what's really important to students in this time of crisis. As always, we welcome comments and questions on Twitter @BigIdeaEd
Today's episode of What's the Big Idea is brought to you by Patience. Right now we're going through collective culture shock, and one of the signatures of culture shock is extremes. Extreme highs and extreme lows. Those extremes eventually begin to flatten out as we adjust to our new normal. Let's be patient with each other as we figure out life in the time of coronavirus. Patience. Check it out. Now on to the show. This is my fourth episode dealing with the coronavirus' impact on education, and I suspect my last one for a while. Three episodes ago, I spoke with a teacher from Seattle and then two other teachers closer to home here in California about the impact of the coronavirus, the immediacy of schools being closed, and what schools should expect. Then I spoke with Jesse Stommel about how schools can look after their students' well-being and empathize with them in this new this new time. And then last episode I spoke with some teachers from the American School in Japan who have implemented a pretty effective and student-centered remote learning environment. Today I'm taking a different track. I I A couple weeks ago I was in an uh a meetup, an online meetup that was led by the Human Restoration Project. And if you don't know about them, go back in my feed and find my interview with Nick Covington. And we were having this discussion about this new normal, this this thing we've been flung into by the coronavirus. And there was a voice in the conversation that spoke very passionately and powerfully about schools that cannot simply pivot to online learning. The speaker was a educator in Hawaii by the name of Keisha McDonald. And I knew that when I heard her speaking about her students and their environment in such a forceful way that I had to get her on the podcast. So today's show is my conversation with Keisha McDonald. I caught up with her the day before her school was about to begin their new distance learning program. A program you will hear is complicated by several factors, not the least of which is that a high percentage of their students do not have regular access to online materials, whether it's because they don't have internet or because they're sharing a device. She talks about the needs of her students, the anxieties they're facing, uh, the obstacles that she and her fellow colleagues have encountered as they set up this new program. Then I called Keisha back a week later, after they'd gone through their first week to hear how it went. And just like in our first conversation, she has so many insightful points to make. And if you're a school district that knows you're not going to be able to simply move to online learning, this conversation is for you. And this conversation is really for any educators that want to hear some empathetic, real talk about what our students need in the age of coronavirus. I hope you enjoy. I'm happy to be joined on the podcast now by Keisha McDonald, a middle school curriculum coordinator in Hawaii. Keisha, thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's a pleasure.
SPEAKER_01Can we start just by hearing um just some general context, uh, your school, your role, a bit about the just the general demographics where you of where you work?
SPEAKER_02Sure. Um I'm in Kailua Kona, which you know, if the I'm on the bigger island, the they call it the big island, the island of Hawaii, the one that has the volcano rate that went off a couple years ago. Um, so our entire island has about 200,000 people on it. There are two main cities, Hilo on the east side, Kona on the west side, and I'm in the Kona area, which is you know, it's a tourist town. It's our big industry here. Um so we have about a population of about 14,000 in Kona. Um, my school is, I think it's the biggest middle school on the island. It's uh about 700 students. Um, our population demographic, there's about out of 700, we have about 160 ELL students. We have about 60 to 70 SPED, so about 10%. Um free and reduced, I think, runs about between 68 and 72 percent. So it's a fairly high population. Um, my school physically sits in the midst of about seven um low-income housing projects. So, you know, the kids walk to school and um that's where we are.
SPEAKER_01Have your families been disproportionately affected by assuming tourism has dried up.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um very much so. Um, our teachers have been phoning in the last week. So this is what happened with Hawaii. We um we were on spring break. The our last day of school for term three was um April 13th, I mean March 13th, and then we went into spring break, and then the announcement came like two days later that the whole state was going to, you know, start um staying at home until April 30th. So um we have been contacting families by phone, and just from what I'm hearing from those initial contacts, is you know, oh, my dad's already laid off and my mom has reduced hours. Um, you know, Hawaii, the whole state typically has about 30,000 people come every day. Um, and we're down to less than a thousand a day. So, yes, tourism is our number one industry, especially here on the west coast of this island. Restaurants, cleaners, you know, hotels, timeshares, B Airbnbs. So, yeah, our population is definitely getting disproportionately hit economically by this.
SPEAKER_01As the curriculum coordinator, I guess you probably have a pretty good handle on not just the middle school's curriculum, but also curriculum delivery. Prior to all of this, generally, what was the what did online look like at your school? How much was delivered and how how effective was it?
SPEAKER_02So, I mean, online delivery in terms of we had some school-wide structures in place, right? So we use iReady um program for math and ELA or uh diagnostic or general screener, um, and then also with you know, supplementing with lessons. So kids were having exposure to some online programming, but only in school, right? Where there's access to um devices and access to um the connection. Um and then from there, it was really a classroom-by-classroom basis. Some teachers moved to Google Classroom a year or two ago and were developing and delivering instruction a lot through Google Classroom, but again, general expectation was that it would happen at school.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, does the school have how do the kids access um? They bring their own devices or is it devices?
SPEAKER_02No, we have we don't have a BYOD. We um have lab, you know, computer carts, and they were mostly in ELA and math rooms. And then um, we are not on a one-to-one yet. And then, like if we had testing, say like our HSA, our Hawaii State um testing, assessment testing was going on uh for the eighth graders who have to take the NGSS science. So then you would take that computer lab, move it into the science room for the week of testing. So we weren't on one-on-one. We had consistent computer access through ELA and math, and then kind of individual rooms, you know, as per required or requested if they were doing projects research. So kids were exposed at school and in the classroom, but then you know, we still have our like 30-year veteran teachers who have never seen a Google Classroom and don't know what it is or what it looks like.
SPEAKER_01And any feel for um a ballpark, just generally what percentage of your students have have have connection at home would even be able to get online at home regularly.
SPEAKER_02Um the ballpark, right? We're still doing you know surveys and and data collection on that, but the ballpark is that between 30 and 50 percent of our kids will not have connection at home. Yeah, so that's either because of a device or because of connectivity. And we're all sorry, we're also running into the thing where we do have um, you know, a lot of large families, and so a lot of feedback has already been like I have four kids at home and they're all using one device, or I have six kids, or we have you know, multi-generational homes. So you have grandparents maybe with the kids who don't understand technology. Um, you have older siblings watching younger siblings. So even if they have it, it's really hard to gauge how much they will consistently have access to it.
SPEAKER_01How do you go about preparing? You're obviously in a pretty difficult position with those high percentage of students that are not able to get online regularly. So, how did you go about school leadership go about doing this?
SPEAKER_02Um, well, so far, first of all, I should also make it clear that so far um it's enrichment only, right? It's not going to be um assessed or graded at this time that might be re-evaluated as we go on. Um, I, you know, we're still processing that kind of thing on a statewide level. And again, Hawaii has a very unique challenge in that um our whole state is one school district. And so even though we're several islands and we all have different, you know, there are some islands that are so rural that, you know, there's hardly roads and there's not many cars. And then we have islands like um Oahu, where Honolulu and Waikiki are that are very developed. So um, you know, we're developing systems at the school level, but then at the statewide level, they're also making larger decisions. So thus far, you know, it's only for enrichment, it's an opportunity, it's not to be counted against. There's a no harm, you know, kind of thing in place. Um we're also unique, I think that we got through quarter three. You know, we were only about to enter quarter four. So I think there's going to be discussion about, you know, how that's gonna impact grades and moving kids on. But so um in terms of putting it in place, I would say it's kind of like standing and you're staring at a huge gap and you're just building it brick by brick. You know, a bridge is being built. I think we as a school have decided, you know, what do we have in place and how do we move forward with what we have? Because I think your initial, you want to rush in, you want to do everything, you want to provide, you want to, you know, it's like we'll have to just do everything for every single child, of course. That is the ideal. So what we're doing is we're starting with what we have and what we know. So the kids who have access to online are gonna start with the enrichment bits, right? And we're still kind of developing and rolling out how to supplement for the kids who don't have that access. Um and you know, we're a little bit behind the curve in the sense it happened a bit later. So we're still listening to other states and hearing what they're doing and then adapting and adjusting.
SPEAKER_01So that was a was that a statewide, like district wide decision to go with no grades.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That was okay. Um so are we are we talking all subjects are going to offer enrichment, or has it been that sort of winnowed down to a certain no?
SPEAKER_02Um all subjects. So, like at my school, I can speak for my own site. We have teams. So, and each team is made up of your core teachers, and then there's also you know, elective teachers on each team. Um, and so they are coordinating to create, we're doing um like an online choice board. So when kids go on through the main portal of our website, they can click on their team, 6A, 6B, etc. And then they're gonna be given a choice board of activities, and then they can pick, you know, do you want ELA math? Here's our suggestion, you can mix it up for the week. Um, you know, the ukulele teacher has also provided some videos, the dance teacher has also, you know, so we're all the teachers are providing whatever they can provide at this point, just to, you know, we have parents who are like, help me, please, I'm going crazy. And and so, and again, this is where what is school for, right? Like we're a fabric of the community, we're not just uh a curriculum delivery service.
SPEAKER_01So, what would learning look like, at least as as you can see it now, for someone that says, you know what, I I can't get online, it's not gonna happen for me. What would that family's learning look like?
SPEAKER_02Right. So then at that point, again, we're still exploring chances to like deliver. Um, some places have started delivering like hot spots and things like that. If there's say like um a housing community where they know we have a lot of a high bunch of students, you know, so the Department of Education is trying to get creative. Again, it takes a little time to build the airplane while you're flying. Um, so but your typical family, like right now, again, it's about the outreach, it's about the connection, it's saying we're here, what do you need? How can we help you? Can we tell you about the health clinic down the road? Can we tell you where the free meals are being served? Um, and then in terms of the actual learning, you know, it's like, well, what can you do? How can I help you? And let's move forward together with that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was gonna ask about what other what else the school's providing right now. I mean, obviously, as you said, it's a fabric of the society, it's not just about the content, the book, the whatever. So is the school providing anything in addition to what you just listed, sort of resources? Is it does it provide food as well, lunches to kids?
SPEAKER_02So um each, like I said, we have one massive school district, and then we have complexes. And so each complex has designated certain sites that are still doing food delivery, the grab and go, right? The takeaway food. So um my my my site isn't currently one of them, but we we have the information of where they are and we share that with our families.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And any sense at this point how families are coping, you getting any feedback from students, parents about either what you know, what are their fears, what are their concerns, what are their expectations?
SPEAKER_02Um, you know, here's where the gap gets bigger, right? I mean, the kids, so I have a child who's a high school freshman, he's at the same public school system that I serve in, right? He they went to one-on-one this year, so he has a laptop at home that he was issued by the school. He has teachers who are regularly uploading into Google Classroom. He does know that this is not for grades, right? He does know that this is enrichment. And I mean, so you know, those kids, the kids that are our top 10 or 15%, obviously they're gonna march on, they're gonna continue, they're gonna engage and and be involved. Um other parents and other stories, I think again, literally it's it's economic survival right now. It's going into the shops and realizing the shelves are empty. It's knowing that you know they don't have any hours at work, they're not gonna have a paycheck for a month or two months or however long. And, you know, just to be perfectly honest, you know, the education right now isn't the the biggest thing in their life.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah, I I had a discussion recently with um a professor, Jesse Stommel, and we were talking about the potential for this um this crisis to exacerbate um educational inequality because those who are plugged in, as you say, have the they can keep chugging along, and those that can't and are maybe thinking about other things. Um I wonder if you're if you're concerned about that in your own district.
SPEAKER_02I think you know there are ways around it. And so for me, I feel like, you know, in this time, we need to do what we're gonna do, and we need to find as many solutions as possible, of course, and we need to provide as much as possible. But for me, like I'm already thinking in my head, quarter one next year, right? How are we pre-assessing? How are we reteaching? How are we understanding where our kids need to be? And, you know, as a staff and as an educational community, understanding, okay, so quarter one's normally 10 weeks, and normally you'd spend two or three weeks on getting to know you and procedures and policies, and you know, and then you would start moving into content. And I'm just in my mind thinking, okay, we're just gonna have to, you know, crunch things a little bit. We're gonna have to, yes, establish our relationships, get to know our kids, but we are gonna have to incorporate some just key elements of best practices teaching and maybe just do it at a little faster pace than what we would normally be comfortable with, but is still doable and would still reach our students in an effective way.
SPEAKER_01What students are you most concerned about?
SPEAKER_02The ELS population for sure. Um it's hard to get everything, you know, as the directives are coming out, as the communications are coming out, it is hard to sometimes get them translated. So we have, you know, I mean, every school has so many different um populations. And, you know, we have being in Hawaii, we have a large population that come from the Micronesia region. Um, so we have, you know, like Chakese and Krishna, and you know, we have languages that maybe really aren't such a great fit for Google Translate. We have to be careful if they're sending out communications that they are effective and they're right, you know, because right now the communications aren't super frequent. So you want to make sure when you do it, it's very effective. Um, so I worry about those because again, these are the kids who maybe are doing okay in school and they're getting the supports they need, but they're at home with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa who possibly haven't really integrated into English speaking society. Right. So I worry about them just getting the basic communications, even of where do you find food and where do we go for healthcare? And um, and then obviously, you know, our special, I, you know, my first thought just before all this happened, I I spent some time substituting in our fully self-contained room. Um, and I mean my first thought was for those children, you know, those really high need children. Um, it's not a huge population, but you know, I have to be honest, that was my first concern.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh how does the school normally back to the ELs, how does the school normally communicate with those families?
SPEAKER_02Again, we rely on some of the more in-person stuff. We have um Yale evenings, you know, they'll invite have a potluck meal and invite people down and let students showcase work. And then the students are there kind of also being the bridge of communication. So, you know, when you're trying to communicate directly with the families, sometimes it is harder to do so.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah, the crises often strain what's already difficult.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, it's yeah, it's a tough situation. And again, I, you know, when I get really down, I the one of the best things that just picks me up is you know, we're all in it, we're all in the same boat. So it's you know, we tend to think, what can we do? What can we do? I want to provide, I want to help. And we just have to stop and pause and just, you know, build something consistent and true because we really literally are all in the same canoe, you know, and and if we all paddle a little bit, we're gonna get farther than if I'm sitting there staring in the distance, being panicked, you know.
SPEAKER_01How are the teachers doing?
SPEAKER_02Um, I it's a mixed bag, right? It's like with the students. Some of us are more well equipped than others. Um, one of my first things to do was to reach out to teachers I know who live alone. Because I live in a multi-generational family. I live with my parents and my children. Um, and so I have I have connection. And I I my first worry was for people who live alone. And I did reach out to some of them. Um, you know, some had plans to travel over spring break. Hawaii is obviously very distant from everywhere, and a lot of our teachers have originally come from the mainland and they wanted to visit home or have see an elderly parent or grandparent. Um, so you know, so obviously there was that initial disappointment. And then as the larger picture sinks in, you know, um, so yeah, it's just how well equipped they are. You know, we all have these SEL needs, right?
unknownSure.
SPEAKER_02A big discussion in the educational community at my own school is, you know, how are we providing for students when some of us are still figuring it out or for ourselves? Teachers can't give what they don't have. Um, so if you don't have contentment, you can't give it to your kids. If you don't have respect for authority, you're not gonna probably pass that on either. So um, so for the Teachers, you know, who already maybe were dealing with personal issues, they're exacerbated. And the teachers who are in a pretty good place and well connected, you know, they're doing fine. They're figuring it out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So what's the role of school leadership in the in the coming weeks to support those teachers, which, as you say, then in turn supports the students, it kind of rolls downhill.
SPEAKER_02It does. Um, I think, you know, clear communication and making it clear that you know, we're all in this together. I I was seeing on Twitter examples of principals who were sitting and like personally phoning each and every one of their staff members. And to me, that's I mean, it's so simple, but like, yeah, wow, right? I mean, just that personal touch. Yes, we can all get on a Zoom chat where we listen to each other saying, Can you hear me? Can you hear me? My mic on, you know, and reverb. And we can do that for 20 minutes and have a five-minute conversation at the end. For leadership to sit down and make like a personal phone call and to reach out and just say, Hey, how are you doing? To me, that you know, that's an ideal step number one. We're kind of past that, but um, and I think providing opportunities for smaller groups to lean in on each other. So for us, like we have our team structure and in you know, putting that um kind of permission and trust, like you guys go ahead, you guys meet, you guys run with it, you guys do what you need to do and take care of each other, um, and we'll check in on you. But you know, you don't have to maybe always attend these big massive structures of meetings that we're not going to be able to accomplish much. So I think leadership needs to let people, you know, build their own little networks and rely on each other and then kind of draw us all together with that overarching purpose, you know.
SPEAKER_01Sure. What um what advice would you have for uh school districts that are in the midst of closing or they know it's coming and they're thinking, yeah, I love all this talk about online learning, but I just don't know if we can pull it off. What advice would you have for them?
SPEAKER_02Um, I think the biggest thing, and again, this is nothing new, I've seen it all over, is stick to what you know. Don't think you're gonna suddenly create like this magical system um overnight. If if teachers are already doing Google Classroom, let them use it. But if they aren't, find an alternative. So for us, like when they they go into the portal and they can clink click on links, it links up to a shared drive of you know Google documents that somebody else has already set up. And the teacher's only job is to contribute to that document and to give kids resources. So, you know, the ones that are already ahead of the tech game, let them lead the charge, you know, let them support the other teachers, but don't expect, again, that a 20 or 30-year veteran who has been using, you know, the same effective. I'm not gonna put down worksheets. Worksheets can be effective. I've seen it with my own eyes. Um, you know, their method of teaching works for them. And how do you expand on their skills and their strengths versus commanding them to suddenly learn a whole new way of doing things?
SPEAKER_01Sure. Yeah, avoiding the chaos that comes with the uncertainty and the lack of structure. I hear that.
SPEAKER_02And you're making people feel unconfident, you know, you're kind of undermining, like you have to learn this, you have to do this. And the teacher's thinking, wait, I'm so good at what I do, this is my craft, you know, and now you're telling me I have to be somebody different. So I think you need to like reinforce letting them be who they are, but just you know, helping letting somebody else help shape that context for them so that again, we're not gonna reach kids in the same way. You have to accept that. Um, but you know, figure out what the strength is and then adapt the strength versus kind of commanding some whole new set of skills that people just don't have.
SPEAKER_01What's learning, what's school gonna look like at your house? You're uh you're you at your work, your son's gonna be doing school. So what how what's what's that what do you think the day is gonna look like?
SPEAKER_02You know, gosh, I feel so grateful that I'm out of the diapers and the toddler stage. Um, I have a 15-year-old who is a call a high school freshman. I have a 19-year-old who is a college freshman, so grateful that he got through his graduation year, right? Um so he's at the local community college. They've gone to all online learning. And you know, there he's pretty self-sufficient and he does what he needs to do. He has some synchronous Zoom chats, and we all just stay away from that end of the door, and we all stay away and we make sure we have pants on. Um, and then my freshman son, um, the actual learning is really only starting tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_02So our spring break was kind of you know extended, and they haven't necessarily been required to um input. His teachers have been loading Google Classroom. Um, so yeah, I think you know, we all just kind of go in and close our doors. And like I went through the house before meeting you, and I let my parents don't come walking in my room. And I went to my kids and don't come walking in my room, mommy's door is gonna be closed, and you know, that's a sign. And I know some people are going in their closets, some people are going in their bathrooms, some people close themselves in their cars, you know. Um, so I'm lucky my kids can feed themselves. You know, they're not calling me from the bathroom to come help them there. Um, I'm luckier than a lot of people. So from my house, we're all kind of doing our things independently, and then we all come together at different points and and hook up.
SPEAKER_01So, great. Well, Keisha, I'd like to thank you so much for joining me today and offering your perspective. It's uh it's really insightful.
SPEAKER_02Sure. Well, again, I mean, it's just a little window of the world. Um, Hawaii is really special. It's we have a lot of amazing strengths. Our culture being very family oriented, it's a strength, right? Um, but we are facing these unique challenges too. So, like I said, I think we're just trying to parlay on our strengths and do what we can and build it brick by brick, as I said, versus you know, thinking we're gonna overnight revolutionize education.
SPEAKER_01All right, as mentioned earlier, uh, recorded that conversation with Keisha McDonald right before they were about to start their new distance learning program. And then I called her back a week later to hear how the first week went. So here I am a week later, back on uh Google Meet with Keisha McDonald. Uh so Keisha, how are you doing? How did the week go?
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, the longest year of my life. No, I'm kidding. It's it's actually been a very positive week. When you asked me to meet with you again a week later, I thought, what am I gonna have to talk about? But a lot happens in a week, I think, in this new reality that we're living in. So um, it's been a really good week. Um, I've seen some pretty incredible things happening. Um, the best news for me in my context is my school is going to become a meal delivery site starting on Monday. So wow, yeah. When I spoke to you a week ago, that hadn't started yet. Um, but we will be serving meals, um, grab and go meals, breakfast, and lunch starting Monday. And I mean, that's huge. You know, like I said, we're, you know, we're like 70% um free and reduced. And my school literally does sit in the midst of seven um low-income housing projects. So just to have people be able to walk to that service versus trying to drive to other sites to find it is just it's so exciting.
SPEAKER_01That's incredible. So, so students that already qualified, they'll now just be able to go and get this from. Is it just like a like a truck or something that kind of goes around?
SPEAKER_02No, so the the Department of Education here in Hawaii, I mean, they've been very, you know, they understand our circumstances across the state. And their policy from the beginning has been if there's a grab and go site, any child, 18 or younger, can come and get it. They don't need an ID, they don't need to prove anything. You know, if they're a private school student, we'll still serve them. We will serve anyone who is a child in the state of Hawaii through our Department of Education meals.
SPEAKER_01That is that's that's fantastic.
SPEAKER_02So um it is at our site, and like, you know, teachers, as soon as we heard we all wanted to volunteer to be a part of it. But um, the other good news is that, you know, they're gonna try to use some of those part-time and like the para pros and you know, the EAs and the people who might not be a guaranteed paycheck in this period, they're gonna use those people to help with the food preparation and the distribution. So, you know, they set up a site and people can drive through or people can walk through, grab and go. It's all in a takeout kind of um situation, and everyone can come and grab. So they are gonna um also hopefully help, you know, maintain and sustain some of our people who are normally working at our school but might not have that 10 or 12 month contract right now.
SPEAKER_01Great. Yeah, you mentioned last time how the school is a part of the fabric of society, and so obviously showing it there. I'm glad you brought that up first because I feel like the last time I spoke with you, I kind of kind of came into the interview with a focus on learning, learning. And then it was like only like later that we started talking about, but let's what are the needs of the community first? So I'm glad you brought that up.
SPEAKER_02Speaking of that, um, another amazing thing that happened this week, and again, I'm just so inspired, you know, by the people who are jumping in and focusing on that community aspect. So one of my teachers, and you know, he's kind of like one of the younger and the cooler and the hipper teachers, and um, he's you know, he's from our community. He went to my school as a child. Um, he knows our our population, he knows our kids, and he, you know, to just provide for the students, he started um on Instagram. So he goes live at um, he calls it wiki and lunch. So in in Hawaii, wiki is recess. Wiki means fast. So we call recess wiki, and so we would have a wiki and we would have a lunch. And he's recognized this need that the kids just kind of want to hang out, they want to be social, they want to be kids. And so he goes on live and he um invites the kids to join and to hang out with him, and he will like pop to them or he'll pop to a teacher, and you know, we'll all hang out together and kind of create community. And um, he even got a guest appearance by an NFL player who's from our community and who went to our school. Yeah, a guy who plays for the Seahawks. They're very popular here in Hawaii, and um, you know, he's focusing on this whole like character and community versus this is what I want you to learn this week. So he's talking like the the guy came on and was just talking about like, you know, working hard and having your dreams and and and and you know, talking about what it's meant to him to play in the NFL and how you know, if you work hard enough, you can you can get to where you want to be. And um, so I mean, to me, like that, those kind of opportunities are just great. And to me, like he says, when he thinks to his school education time, he's a teacher now. He obviously values education, but you know, he remembers Wiki and Lunch. Like those were the most outstanding moments of his school career. And I think a lot of kids can say that, right? It was that prom, or it was that weekend leadership camp, or it was, you know, what happened when you hung out in that one teacher's room before class started. Those are sometimes the moments that are more meaningful and like that resonate with our kids. And so what I see is a lot of my teachers kind of jumping in to try to fill that void. And I mean, it's just it's wonderful.
SPEAKER_01Wow. And so much of what we're losing right now are those experiences because you're not there uh in person. It's it's really great to hear that. I think a lot of schools are looking for ways to find those um those connections using things like Google Meet, setting up times when they can talk with students, but probably more often than not, those those conversations are around uh learning and teaching, this office hours setup. And I sound sounds like what your school's more focused on is uh just basic human uh connection and uh and and and and just keeping the community spirit alive. That's that's great. Uh any sense after one week, how the students are doing?
SPEAKER_02Um, you know, it's a mixed bag. We've been keeping a large Google Doc, um, a sheet of who's been in touch with who and how many times and the frequency. And then we've been asking, you know, are you connected? Do you have access and trying to deal with those issues? And I mean, there are still, you know, families that are off the map. You know, there's we have, you know, some families have like burner phones and their numbers change. Um, you know, some families are in the habit of going and like going to the Philippines for a month and then coming back and they will pull their kids out of school, come back. Um, you know, we do have that element of very transitory kind of um families in our in our community. It's some a reality we've always had. So, you know, we are struggling to reach out to some of those folks. Some kids are online and they're participating and they're just so happy to be reached out to and to have a focus in their day. Some kids are trying, you know, but again, maybe you're in a home with like six siblings, you have one device, um, you know, and I think like when we're talking about culture and community, you know, for me, that's one of the aspects that's really stood out this week. You know, like again, we've talked about providing lessons and providing this, and and and you say the learning, the learning, the learning. But I think, you know, is as as much as we're professionals and we know this and we're a part of it, we've forgotten how much is in place before the learning occurs, right? That classroom culture and all those little weeks you spend building up policies and procedures and getting to know you and knowing kids' names. And, you know, parents don't have that. You're just shoving a kid in front of a computer and being like, learn. And I'm not saying that learning can't continue outside of that structure, outside the brick and mortar school, but you know, there's so many little elements, the non-tangibles and the nonverbals that really go into instruction and education. I mean, those are the things that are like so hard to replicate, you know, in this experience, no matter how perfectly crafted, you know, your lesson is and how many um, you know, standards it targets and and how much you've explained the learning outcome. You know, there's so many other things that go on in a classroom on that day-to-day basis that we've been building through the year and to suddenly have that knocked out from under, you know, you you really do have to tamper your expectations and you also have to think about the poor parents who might be at this point trying to manage that without the skills and the techniques and the strategies and the you know, the professional development and all the things that we've been doing all these years to get that climate and to get that culture in place in a classroom before the learning can even begin.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think about the parents a lot that are it's been a bit of a shock to them, I think, in in some homes, just having to deal and manage. And especially if if this child is younger and requires more attention and trying to help them through that learning. And as you say, if they don't haven't had any of that training that kind of comes to us naturally when we need it, uh it can be very difficult.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, you know, again, I think the first week, um obviously everything that's wrong with education is getting highlighted, right? The inequities and the access and you know, all that is just more so. And and we know that. And there's a lot smarter people than me talking about that out there. And, you know, for me, this week has just kind of reinforced this dichotomy that exists in education about, you know, we know this, it's an outdated kind of industrialized, you know, bureaucratic system, and we know this, you know, and then we also have these whole aspects of, like I said, community and culture. And, you know, we are some people might see it as glorified daycare, but we really are this fabric of the community and and it's in place um on a daily, you know, consistent basis. And for me, this, you know, that dichotomy of like instruction, instruction, instruction, and then you know, character, character, character, for me, that gap, you know, is what's really also showing, besides all the other, you know, inequities and and accessibility and other issues that we're dealing with, you know, in this whole big realm of education.
SPEAKER_01In the background, I think we're all going through a bit of culture shock. Um, uh, you and I both were Peace Corps volunteers. And uh I remember in our training, um, we're not Peace Corps volunteers together, but we but we went through similar training, I'm sure. And they and one of the things they stressed, and I definitely, you know, experienced was the culture shock. Oh, yeah. When you're adjusting to something new, you get these absolute highs and these absolute lows, and it takes some time to even out and become the norm. And I think that's what we're going through right now with this. And I and um, I think we all need to understand that teachers, parents, students, administrators, and and to know that uh uh a normalization is coming, but we have to we have to ride out the highs and lows right now.
SPEAKER_02Right. Everyone's, you know, again, the puzzle the buzzwords are patience and grace, right? Be patient with yourself and lower your expectations and see what you can do. And I mean, to that, I would just add the word, you know, um intentionality. Um, you're not gonna hit every target, you're not gonna hit every standard at this point. And what are you being intentional about? And again, that whole kind of that character education aspect. Um, you know, you have to teach kids how to think, not what to think. You know, you have to um, you know, it's like instill a love of learning versus this kind of carrot and stick mentality. And I think for me, like I was saying, that dichotomy for me has just been really amplified during this time. And I think now is a time for us to make those kind of choices because of the the access is limited and it's only taking place in certain platforms and during certain sections to be just very intentional about what we're doing, you know, that connection we're keeping, um, and and our actions right now are telling our kids what's important.
SPEAKER_01So what end of the week, you got to Friday. Um, what was your what was your takeaway? Friday afternoon came. You looked back on the week. What was your your big takeaway from the week?
SPEAKER_02I went to a virtual um in Hawaii we call it powhana. Pow is over and Hana is work. So Friday afternoon, powhana, it's time to at five o'clock, you know, wherever you are, you do whatever you do at five o'clock. And I got invited to a Zoom meeting by people I'd never met. I've never met them in person. And we got on and we were playing like games through the Zoom and interacting, and it was personal, it was fun. And you know, this whole virtual thing, it can either be it can be meaningful, you know, this virtual thing can be meaningful, or it can be completely impersonal and not working and ineffective and frustrating.
SPEAKER_03And so right.
SPEAKER_02So, you know, don't look at new context, this virtual thing, this, you know, only online access. Don't look at that as the stumbling block, right? It's like how you're utilizing it and how you're perpetuating it, and how are you reaching out to people in a meaningful way, you know, despite the obstacles we're facing.
SPEAKER_01I love that. Keisha, thanks so much for checking back in.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_01A big thanks to Keisha McDonald for taking the time to talk. Among the many insightful points she made, I found her emphasis on community and identifying students' needs to be particularly powerful. I think that uh there is an impulse on the part of some schools to rush or lurch to the learning, the teaching and learning. How can we continue to teach and learn in this new environment? And Keisha's words are a good reminder that that is not the place to start. Starting with the student needs, starting with their sense of community. I loved the story she told about how her school is building community. That has to be a prelude to the teaching and learning. If you've got any comments or questions about this episode or anything, what's the big idea? Check us out on Twitter at big ideaed. And uh thanks for listening. And I hope you're doing well through this time of uh culture shock. That's what it is. We are we are in culture shock right now, and it's still gonna be a little while before we totally adjust. I hope you're doing well, hope your family's doing well, hope your students are doing well, and uh thanks for listening. Check us out next time.
SPEAKER_00Cuando te encuentro, usted gusta, yo me conformo, mira tu piel, mañana te pito, no te café, usted ha vuelto un hombre, no me gusta.
