DOTHAN, Ala. – Many schools are having to come up with creative ways to teach their students all the while keeping staff and students safe thanks to COVID-19.
“We kept thinking about what can we do to eliminate as much contact as possible. Normally at Carver our teachers are in a grade level pod and they teach one subject for about an hour, then the kids get up and go to the next class,” Dr. Donnie Chambers, principal at Carver School for Math, Science and Technology said.
Carver had to come up with alternative to keep their students safe and healthy during the pandemic. So instead of students transitioning from subject to subject, teachers will be taking their classes to the student.
The change has even cut down on the amount of students getting sick.
“It would keep them from having to be in other children’s desk and us having to take the time to wipe down desks every time we had a transition. So we were able to get carts for all the teachers, we load up our stuff every morning, what we need and we take it from room to room,” Lori Smith, 4th grade math teacher at Carver said.
Although the addition takes away from socialization between classes, Carver has found a way to help resolve that issue.
“We’ve also added in some virtual breaks is a good term for it, where we let the kids get up, stretch, let them take an extra few minutes at break so they can socialize because socialization is very important to kids this age,” Chambers said.
But the key is to remain flexible. A word used to describe the teachers that go above and beyond for their students.
“They love their holidays but they would rather be here in school. I mean if you were to ask them, most of them would say I would rather be in the classroom with my friends, I rather be here learning. So to be flexible means that were doing the best for our children so that’s what’s important,” Smith said.
