Bigfork Schools could continue remote learning

School looks a little different these days.

Instead of taking their seats, students log in to a virtual classroom.

And through a combination of video instruction and practice materials, they complete their lessons.

It’s a new way of doing business — and certainly not one that anyone could have predicted. But teachers in the Bigfork district reported that online learning, while unprecedented and not without challenges, has been going surprisingly well, despite the initial learning curve. For educators, the challenge of taking their curriculum online has been met with creativity. They’ve approached teaching during a pandemic with a go-getter attitude and a district-wide aim to make sure their students are equipped for the following school year, no matter the current circumstances.

And this format of instruction may likely continue through the end of the year. Superintendent Matt Jensen said he plans to make a recommendation at the April 29 board meeting that Bigfork Schools carry on with virtual learning. Guidance for school reopening from the Governor’s office and the local health department outline a number of ways to keep students safe once schools reopen, to include screening students and staff prior to entry, wearing masks and limiting groups to no more than 10 people. In an email to staff, Jensen said that the planning phase for entry alone would run longer than the established school calendar and he would prefer to focus on preparing for in-classroom learning in the fall.

“I recommend defining what is specifically desired, then focusing on consultation with the health department, to ensure appropriate planning is taking place. The focus should be on ensuring a complete re-entry plan rather than committing to a fixed date,” Jensen wrote.

He also noted that exceptions could be made in select cases to serve students on campus.

“It is clear to me schools of our size, with a variety of course offerings, are incapable of attaining acceptable standards to ensure even a moderate level of safety assurance for full return of students and staff,” he wrote. “However, I do believe building principals should be able to identify unique and rare situations where individual students needing 1:1 academic or social/emotional support can make practical arrangements to serve those students on-site.”

While a return date isn’t yet set in stone, Jensen noted in his message to staff that plans for reopening will be shared with students, staff and community members as they move forward, “which may ease some of the uncertainty surrounding the inherent risks of coming back to in-classroom learning.”

In the meantime, teachers are doing their best to connect and inform their students in virtual classroom settings. First grade teacher Bridget Martel said the district anticipated the pandemic-related closures and began preparations early, allowing them to hit the ground running, missing just one day of school to prep, once Montana schools were ordered to close in mid-March. They rolled out a mixture of instructional videos and take-home materials to keep kids engaged and not sitting in front of the computer for the entire day. As for the videos that the students do watch, Martel has made every effort to make them both informative and entertaining.

“The kids are always waiting to know what those silly first grade teachers are going to do next because it’s always different,” she said.

She and other elementary instructors have used accents and donned costumes ranging from witches to Superman to keep kids on their toes.

“We wanted to be able to have them as independent as possible because we knew that the kids were going to have siblings and we knew that parents were going to be working from home,” Martel explained.

At the onset, in an effort to equip parents with information they shared perhaps too many resources, with the unintentional net effect of overwhelming some families.

“Then we had to reel it back in,” she noted. “We spent a lot of time getting feedback from the parents. It was trying to balance how much information was too much and how much information was just enough. And that took us some real fine tuning.”

Student reactions to their new format of learning have ranged, Martel said.

“I think you have a little bit of everything. Even with adults, some of us are wired to roll with the punches, some of us freak out,” Martel said. “The kids look to the parents in their household in order to determine how to react.”

To help students adapt, she takes time to meet with each of her students on a one-to-one call each week and hosts virtual small group meetings on a weekly basis as well. And for those who are struggling, she plans to address any deficiencies once school resumes in the classroom.

“If the children come back and they’re missing a few skills, we have means to determine that and we’ll give them those skills,” she said.

Patrick Johnston, who teaches 7th and 8th grade math, said his students have been “absolute rock stars” and though there was an initial learning curve for parents and students, his kids have adapted well.

“Overall, their attitudes have been incredible,” Johnston said. “I’m blown away with their work ethics and the fact that they’re doing a lot of independent work. That’s a ton of responsibility that you’re asking a barely teenaged kid.”

To keep his students on task during virtual classroom meeting times, Johnston has them disable their mics and cameras so they only see him and can ask questions using a chat function, although he noted that each teacher is approaching their virtual classrooms differently.

One of the biggest challenges he’s encountered is test administration, which in this situation “depends a lot on the honor system.”

Johnston tries to give each student a slightly modified test and requires them to turn in a picture of their math work when they upload a test or quiz.

He also misses the in-person interaction with his students.

“The hardest thing for me personally is not being able to see your kids. You don’t have that interaction with them,” he said. “I’ll ask a question and instead of hearing response, I’m watching a chat [window.]”

But despite the oddities and difficulties of transitioning to an online semester, Johnston is grateful to be teaching.

“Even though this isn’t the most ideal situation,” he said, “at least we still have the ability to educate.” ■