A shout-out to Fresno’s teachers trying to instruct from a distance because of COVID-19

You are essential workers in our community. When students are isolated and afraid of health and social crises, you are the person who connects them with knowledge, skills and values they need to understand what’s happening. Even before the pandemic, there were challenges for students of color and poverty, falling behind in academics, suffering from trauma and depression, and lacking opportunities for civic engagement. Now these are more severe and you are expected to create a safe, exciting online learning environment to teach all students in your classes. Our community owes you our gratitude and support.

In March, when the pandemic closed the schools, you had to create a new strategy to teach online. Few of you were trained for this. The results were discouraging, mostly because so many students lacked the technology or the skills to use it, didn’t understand their role, or had to care for siblings or work to help support their family. That was not your fault.

You know that your students need social, emotional and civic education, as well as academics. If our American experiment in democracy is to succeed, your students must learn and practice personal responsibility, healthy relationships, creative problem solving and civility. They need the opportunity to identify problems that concern them and learn to inquire about root causes, systemic structure and potential solutions. They need to learn about responsible adults in the community who are working to solve problems and meet our needs. They need to feel connected to our community and trust that we will support them.

As you prepare online lessons for this semester, you need to prioritize both academic achievement and social, emotional and civic education. You know how important it is to bring your underserved students up to grade level in academics. You also know that students are not willing and able to learn if they are suffering from trauma, fear, isolation and anxiety about their life experience. Few of you were trained for this, but it is essential to respond effectively to the needs of these students or the academic achievement will not improve.

You may want to consider the civic project-based learning model, developed by the Civic Education Center (CEC), or other service learning models to connect students with their community. For examples of the CEC model, see www.civicedcenter.org. Students feel empowered when they can be part of something greater than themselves, part of a team that makes a difference in their community. That sense of belonging to the class and community gives them confidence and incentive to engage in learning.

Service learning is most effective when teachers integrate the academic subjects they are teaching that semester. Students learn to apply language arts, science, social studies and math to a real problem. Doing this through distance learning is a challenge, but it can be done.

Blessings to you as you prepare lessons to meet the needs of our children. Their future and the future of our democracy depends on you. You are truly essential workers.