Educators at Legacy Traditional Schools hop on Facebook Live every morning to hold flag ceremonies for the 20,000 students in the charter system that spans Arizona and Nevada.
During the sessions, educators announce birthdays, academic achievements and other milestones.
“We start the day together each morning like we always have—just virtually,” says Sean Amir, the district’s public relations manager.
District Administration is publishing a series of articles highlighting the creative efforts of teachers and schools while the coronavirus keeps students at home.
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Legacy Traditional Schools, a majority-minority network, has been functioning almost entirely online for about a month, and also provides hard copy lessons for students without internet access.
Teachers trained for a week before online learning began, and now produce weekly videos and upload supporting resources onto Google Classroom for students.
Teachers also email families to encourage students to participate in one live session each day. These optional activities help students stay connected with teachers, Amir says.
“Each campus aims to mimic the in-person school day as much as possible,” Amir says.
Learners who receive services for exceptional students receive additional emails that invite them to sign-up for virtual services.
The charter system has also been connecting with families on its Facebook page.
Finally, Legacy educators are reminding themselves—and encouraging parents—to keep in mind some of the same social-emotional learning practices that are taught to students.
“Model appropriate behavior for expression of frustrations or concerns through constructive and thoughtful dialogue,” Amir says. “This is especially important during the first few weeks as schools roll out remote learning. This is a first for many of us so we all need to work together and be understanding as this is a learning curve for all stakeholders.”
Share your stories of teacher creativity
District Administration is sharing stories of creative teaching during this challenging time. Please use this form to nominate an innovative teaching effort for us to share with our readers.
