Due to COVID-19, teachers, students, and parents across Long Beach have had to adjust to online learning and the new obstacles that have emerged for the fall 2020 semester. Households with young children have encountered distinct challenges while working as a unit to excel through K-12 education.
Child Development experts, teachers, and LBUSD administrators have worked to provide resources for parents worrying about their child’s future as a result of the pandemic.
A first-grade teacher at Burbank Elementary, Dawna McVicker said the biggest adjustment to online teaching is, “Not being able to hear the students all day and seeing if they are understanding the subject.”
However, according to McVicker, a positive side to online learning is “This will get them 21st century ready. It will teach them to adapt to the real world.”
Many teachers found themselves in need of resources to better support students throughout online learning. To help support teachers, the LBUSD district has provided a Smart Start Curriculum that has yet to be fully implemented for the semester.
Special Assistant to LBUSD Superintendent Tammy Lavelle shared her insights into Smart Start Curriculum with Viking News over a phone call on Sept. 16.
Lavelle said that the Smart Start Curriculum is 18 days of emotional learning with an intentional focus on students, and she will not be able to disclose further information on the curriculum until later in the year. A survey conducted and shared by LBUSD shows that 60% of parents were concerned about their children’s learning. 47% were worried about their emotional well-being.
Aurora Rico Flores, a parent of a local middle schooler commented, “The camera is very anxiety provoking for my child. She feels like she’s on stage rather than sitting in a classroom.” She said that it has been hard for her daughter to focus on her schoolwork.
LBUSD recognizes the challenges being faced by students and parents that are doing remote learning.
LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker said on Aug. 5, “Parents can call the level offices or their school principals for more details.”
A district handbook is being developed that will include not only protocols for COVID-19 responses but also descriptions of the instructional programs.
According to a Sept. 10 announcement from Baker on the LBUSD YouTube channel, online learning will continue until January 28, 2021. L.A. County may have no more than 100 per 100,000 people testing positive for COVID-19 in order to remove itself from the state watch list and become eligible to consider in-person learning, said Baker, and Long Beach has not yet met this criteria.
LBUSD has made efforts to make technology more accessible to families throughout online learning.
Chris Eftychiou, Public Information Director at LBUSD said, “After our school closures in the spring, we provided more than 11,000 Chromebook tablets to students who needed the devices to access the internet at home. We will continue to work with families to make sure they have access to the technology they need for students’ success.”
With K-12 institutions remaining online, parents question how online teaching will affect their children later down the road. Kathleen Volkoun, a professor for Child Development at Long Beach City College talked about the positive and negative effects on K-12 long-distance education.
“Parents are learning more about their children’s learning behaviors, increasing parents’ involvement, which is positive,” Volkoun said. As a result, parents are developing a relationship with their kids’ education, which Volkoun said is creating a new appreciation for teachers.
Volkoun also remarked that examining the learning habits set in place for kids doing long-distance is beneficial, because those learning habits determine their educational competency in the long term. Her ultimate advice for K-12 learning is “Kids need more interactive learning environments to help kids adapt to new settings, so their development does not halt.”
“We will see more kids with ADHD-like qualities, and explosive behaviors or kids who are emotionally dysregulated,” Volkoun said.
According to Volkoun, an adolescent’s brain is more vulnerable when coping with world events or traumatic experiences, such as COVID-19. Children may handle the experience differently than adults in general, but this can vary through households.
The future is unknown for the students, parents, teachers, and staff of LBUSD. However, one thing is certain: key players such as parents, teachers, and district officials remain committed to helping K-12 students to succeed in their education.