H-D, CAL schools install distance learning coordinators to reach remote learners

In a new era of learning across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of staff members at Hampton-Dumont and CAL schools have been given the task to make sure students learning from home are connected with the resources they need.

Staff members at the elementary, middle school and high school levels have been tabbed as Distance Learning Coordinators to help students and parents who have opted for online learning receive assistance with technology and accessing online programs.

Jen Hobson has been serving as the middle school Distance Learning Coordinator since the year began and currently works with 33 students who have opted for online learning while the districts have transitioned back to onsite education.

Hobson said her duties include helping students with various time management and behavior strategies in order to navigate the world of online learning as well as assisting parents who have questions regarding the function of the various tools, software and resources students utilize.

Behn said she has similar tasks as Hobson and one area she focuses on is to make sure the students at home have a healthy learning environment. She encourages them to established their own learning area, be it a clean section on the table or their own desk.

“We want them to make sure they have a nice area, a desk with good lighting and make sure students are doing the work to the best of their ability,” she said. “We want parents and students to know we are in this together and there’s a support system in place to ensure the success of their students.”

In order to satisfy the needs of both parents and students, Hobson said she makes herself available during the day and night, as some students need assistance after school and some parents may have questions later in the evening.

“Flexibility is key because families are choosing to do distance learning for different reasons,” Hobson said. “I check my email a couple of times during the night to make sure parents have reached out to me. We’re not just here for the students, we’re here for the parents because that’s a job for them, too.

“Communication is key because when they’re at home, we can’t walk by their desks,” she added. “We just want to build communication and teach those communication skills.”

Over at the high school, Michelle Peters said she and a team of counselors have been working since the beginning of the year to make sure all students who learn online stayed on task.

Whether it be invitations to complete work at school on Wednesdays, during teacher availability hours, messages through various means and even in-home visits if contact had not been made with students, Peters and the counselors made sure that students had the resources they needed to stay connected.

She said that while that adjustment to online learning continues throughout the year, the willingness of all of those involved to adapt has eased many concerns.

“There has been a tremendous learning and adjustment curve with the start of this school year, but I believe our teachers, staff, and students have done a tremendous job of adjusting to a very difficult situation for everybody and doing the best they can,” Peters said.

One main focus the distance learning coordinators have identified is the social-emotional learning aspect. Behn said that adjusting to the new style of learning as well as not having contact with friends and teachers can take an emotional toll on students. The added stress and anxiety requires the coordinators to not only help students effectively learn, but also provide emotional support during difficult times.

One way the coordinators provide levity for remote learners is through Zoom sessions and other activities where the goal is simply to relax and provide laughs.

“The elementary kids need that social and emotional learning,” she said. “With the kindergarteners, we’ll dance and sing and play games and learn about feelings and they love it.”

Hobson added that these casual chats and activities allow students to feel connected to one another and give them a sense of normalcy.

“I encourage my kids that I don’t want it to just be about school,” she said. “I want them to message me to see if their needs are being met and just to check in with me.”

The emotional outreach part, Hobson said, extends to parents as well, as the uncertainty of the current world, along with the new side of learning, creates added stress to them.

“As kids are in quarantine, that is a very stressful time for families right now, so for us to be able to support them, is a huge part,” Hobson said. “Sometimes we talk about school work, other times they just need to talk.”

As the year progresses and COVID-19 cases within the school and communities drop, some students have elected to return to school full-time. Peters said as a student readies to transition from remote to onsite learning, the coordinators do their best to reassure the student in his or her decision. Counselors work with students to design a class schedule that best fits their needs and encourage them to ease into the adjustment and know that each day will get easier.

“We try our best to welcome them back and let them know how wonderful it is to see them and have them back,” Peters said. “We try to help them not be so overwhelmed and get a plan for them that they feel comfortable with.”

Hobson said that the approach with returning students varies on how they’ve succeeded with the online model. She said she’ll have meetings with each one as they return and introduce them to teachers, show them where their lockers and classrooms are located and then check in with them throughout their first days back.

“If they are behind on schoolwork, we make a plan with the success center to make sure they are caught up but we just want to support them as they transition back to school,” she said.

The position of distance learning coordinator was one created this year, with little blueprint to go by, as schools adjust to the COVID-19 era. This has required constant adjustments and trial and error, but the coordinators said they’ve seen an improvement in the ability to reach remote learners and build on ideas that have proven successful. Adjustments will continue to be made as education and COVID-19 coincide with each other for the foreseeable future, but Peters said the progress made so far is encouraging and shows that the districts are dedicated to its students who have elected to learn from home.

“With everything going on and all the changes that have happened this year, just like everything else, there has been a tremendous adjusting period,” Peters said. “The hard work, flexibility, caring and dedication of our faculty, staff, students and administration has been inspiring. I consider myself very lucky and blessed to be able to work with such amazing adults and students.”