Today was amongst the proudest of my entire professional career. No one is looking for a pandemic to justify everything one believes to be true about teaching and learning and nothing about school closures is worthy of celebration.
But.
Our teachers and our school were made for this moment.
With only a few weeks of prior planning, we seamlessly transitioned into an entire day of PD and meetings to finalize the soft launch of our OJCS Distance Learning Program for next week. We met both by grade level and by subject matter to lay out the when and the what as well as the how to navigate this new world that we are entering. We met on Zoom and on GoogleHangout. We created calendars, schedules, resources, links, folders and drives. Our teachers were professional and prepared. Sure, they – like you – are anxious, but they are also in good spirits because all the work we have done over the last two years and more have uniquely prepared us for moving to remote learning on a dime. We did not invest time and resources in new platforms and pedagogies because we ever could have imagined a school closure of this nature. We did not pioneer blogs and blogfolios because we thought we’d need to build a Distance Learning Program around them. But boy are we happy we have done all that and more in times like these…
For the non-OJCS parents who read my blog and who may already be in closure or preparing for it, here is a snippet of what we shared out today:
“(I)n light of the decision of fellow Jewish day schools in Ontario and to remain abundantly cautious, we have taken the step to close school through April 20th. We will reassess as we get closer to Passover Break as to when and how to physically reopen.
Here is what it means.
The school building will be open on Monday, March 16th. This is to provide teachers and students with an opportunity to come and retrieve all the books, devices, materials, etc., that will be needed to navigate the OJCS Distance Learning Program that will launch. The Library will be open from 9:00 – 2:00 PM for anyone who needs to stock up on library books. We understand and respect that not everyone may feel comfortable reentering the building, but please know that according to Public Health there is no additional risk involved. Please additionally know that the Campus took advantage of today’s closure to do a deep clean if that provides added comfort. [Let me take a moment to personally thank Andrea Freedman and Federation who have been tremendous partners during this difficult moment.]
We will be sending out schedules for the soft launch of our OJCS Distance Learning Program by the end of day on Monday.
We will be holding a Virtual Parent Town Hall to explain the OJCS Distance Learning Program on Tuesday, March 17th at 7:00 PM. (Link to follow.)
We will soft launch the OJCS Distance Learning Program on Wednesday, March 18th.
We will officially launch the OJCS Distance Learning Program on Monday, March 23rd.
Additionally, report cards will go home electronically on Monday and we will encourage families wishing for Parent-Teacher Conferences to either use the existing schedule for phone conversations or to reach out and schedule directly with your child(ren)’s teacher(s).”
I am so incredibly proud of our teachers who have put this program together professionally and quickly. Each day will have structure, accountability, learning and experiences. There will be a blend of live experiences, recorded experiences, links, etc., that are age- and subject-appropriate. We recognize that there will be childcare and technological challenges to work through and are prepared to navigate both with the utmost flexibility and care. Although we will need to lean into technology, please know that we do not expect any child to be in front of a screen or a device the whole day long. There will be lots of structured activities that do not require technology, although the technology will likely be the jumping off point.
Most importantly, is that we will be providing high-quality secular, Jewish and French education and experiences that ensure that our graduates are prepared for success in Grade 9 and that all our students are adequately prepared to be promoted into their next grade level.
These are the times where I feel grateful to be part of such an extraordinary community of teachers, students, parents and institutions. Working and pulling together, we will ensure that we are safe and that the learning continues. And that is truly and emphatically #TheOJCSDifference.
I will be using “The Coronavirus Diaries” as a way of sharing out broader issues to our parents, our local community and the community of Jewish and secular educators who read my blog. I will have thoughts and advice to share with parents about how to structure time and space to facilitate distance learning. I will have thoughts and advice to share with teachers and colleagues about how to run an educational institution by remote. (First tip – don’t let yourself go to the kitchen every time you are hungry.) I will also hope that as people have no choice, but to be more engaged in use of blogs during these times, that people will begin to comment and share resources here and elsewhere. It will take a virtual village to get us through and I believe deeply in the “moral imperative of sharing”. I will share with you…and I hope you share with me.
Be safe. Be smart. But don’t panic. We will come out of this stronger and better teachers and schools as a result.