Video by Kyle Richardson and Braden Weinel//
Story by Braden Weinel//
Education majors who graduate this spring will begin work in classrooms that have been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For students majoring in education, the coronavirus has presented them with a great opportunity to fill a much-needed role, said Christy Graybeal, the education department chair at Hood College.
“School districts are desperate for teachers right now,” she said.
The global pandemic forced a lot of stress on teachers, causing many teachers worldwide to retire or find a new job. According to the Economic Policy Institute, there is a major shortage of teachers right now.
Hood senior Cassidy O’Neill already has a job lined up before her graduation in May. Starting in the fall of 2021, she will be teaching special education at North Frederick Elementary School.
O’Neill said she decided to become a teacher because she had experienced a teacher who didn’t believe in her. She decided to become a teacher who would believe in her students and help them reach their full potential.
O’Neill noted that teachers entering the classroom this fall will have to address a huge learning gap in students that have fallen behind during the pandemic.
According to Educationdata.org, there was a 25% increase of students falling below the baseline level of academic proficiency since the switch to online learning.
For more than a year, teachers have had to rethink how to conduct their classes. Graybeal said that while there are some benefits to the different modes of teaching, it was difficult to instruct both traditionally and online simultaneously.
“I felt like a brand-new teacher where I didn’t know what I was doing,” Graybeal said.
Although COVID-19 presented new challenges for teachers and students, O’Neill said that it also has provided new tools and resources that educators can carry with them into in-person classes as students return to schools.
“All of these new changes will start a new era of learning for the benefits of the students,” O’Neill said.
Jennifer Weinel, a teacher at Lake Seneca Elementary School said that Montgomery County Public Schools are planning to have a virtual school option in the fall. The program is called ‘Virtual Academy’ and is designed to allow students of families with health concerns to remain at home during the school year. This full-time online school option also allows high school students to be more flexible with their schedule if they choose to stay home.
O’Neill said that there has been talk about providing this same opportunity in Frederick County. This will prevent in-person teachers from having to teach hybrid courses.
Graybeal says she hopes for more face-to-face instruction soon, especially for children in grades K-12. Graybeal also says that technology offers some great benefits to our lives, but there are just some things that are easier in person.
“I don’t think there will ever be a way we can replace human interaction,” sophomore special education major, Jeff Fleming said.
The use of technology that carried teachers and students through the pandemic will most likely carry on into future school years in some fashion, but as of April 24, Frederick County Public Schools officials said that they expect students to be back in the classroom five days a week for the 2021-2022 school year. Whether or not social distancing and masks will be required is yet to be determined.
While this may not be the end of wearing masks and social distancing mandates, we are approaching the end of unconventional online learning.
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