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With schools in Aroostook County closed in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, teachers have adapted quickly to online learning tools as a means of communicating with and engaging students.
While school systems initially sent students home with learning packets for two weeks in mid-March, they are now complying with Gov. Janet Mills’ recent stay-at-home order, which is expected to last until at least April 30.
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Traci Storti, a longtime Spanish language teacher at Houlton High School, had little experience with online tools such as video conferencing and other learning software before adjusting her curriculum.
Though the Maine Department of Education and school administrators have provided resources and support for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Storti noted that the need to change teaching methods at such a short notice has put additional stress on herself and colleagues.
“When you ask a teacher what he or she needed more of, a frequent response is ‘time’,” Storti said on Thursday, about the abrupt transitions to at-home teaching. “But I have been so impressed with my colleagues. Everyone is working hard to ensure that quality learning opportunities are available despite our trial by fire.”
Though Storti has found the transition from in-person instruction to email, phone and video conferencing difficult, she said that many online tools have helped her maintain regular contact with students.
Storti teaches three Spanish language courses: one for beginning students, an intermediate level and a combined course of Spanish III and IV designed for advanced-level students.
In recent weeks she has utilized Zoom, a video conferencing software, to hold meetings with students every other weekday and give them opportunities to practice their language skills in real time. Storti has also found many websites that allow students to study Spanish through music and by creating their own on-screen narration for an animated short film.
Even though she feels that there is no substitute for interacting with students in a classroom setting, Storti remains hopeful that students and parents will persevere through these challenging times as best they can.
“The consensus seems to be that most families are working hard to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives and that, of course, includes education,” Storti said. “My students have been patient and have brought great attitudes into our meetings.”
Houlton High School junior Emma Ardell is a student in Storti’s Spanish III class and is also a teacher assistant for the Spanish II class. She said that the biggest challenges of social distancing have been establishing a balance between coursework and personal time and learning how to manage assignments and due dates on her own time.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Ardell said that Storti has kept the class on track through Zoom meetings and assignments that allow everyone to practice their writing, reading, speaking and listening skills in Spanish. She also credits her teachers for regularly keeping in touch with students.
“I think [Storti] is doing an excellent job with the change. She has been very encouraging and hasn’t overworked us,” Ardell said. “On many occasions, my teachers have just wanted to hear from me and how I was doing. They do not fail to remind students that they’re there for help and support.”
Teaching students a new language online has also proved challenging for Robert Daigle, who teaches French at Fort Kent Community High School. Daigle is teaching various levels of French for seventh-graders, 10th-graders and two dual-credit high school classes in collaboration with the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
Daigle has opted to use Google Hangouts for video chats with students, due to his experience with the software, but said many of his colleagues had to learn how to use similar online tools and social media rather quickly.
“Many of my colleagues had never used SnapChat before, which is a very popular way for students to communicate, especially at the high-school level,” Daigle said. “One of my students added myself and classmates as friends and created a group chat so we can send messages quickly.”
These days Daigle and his colleagues have taught with a “less is more” approach, knowing that they cannot cover as much material as in a live class, yet focusing on the most essential lessons for students to learn. In the case of online learning, that often entails finding fun ways to keep students engaged with their coursework.
On Wednesday, Daigle posted an assignment asking students to take part in a French April Fools Day tradition. They drew a fish on a piece of paper, cut out the image and attempted to place the fish on the back of a family member without them knowing. If they were successful, the students shouted “Poisson d’avril,” the French phrasing of “April Fools.” Many students posted photos of their pranks in a special album that Daigle created and shared with the group using Google Photos.
“There’s been a lot of unpleasant news lately, so I wanted to create an activity that was fun and would help students make something positive out of these difficult times,” Daigle said.
Abigail Pettengil, a sophomore student in one of Daigle’s classes, has studied French for the past four years and was initially disappointed to not be able to practice the language with classmates at school. But she said that videos Daigle records of himself talking in French and regular assignments have been helpful.
She noted that the April Fools Day prank added some much-needed fun to the new school routine.
“After taking the picture, I was able to take the fish off and I didn’t show my mom the picture for another day,” Pettengil said. “She was so surprised and didn’t even know what to say. We all had a good laugh.”
In Presque Isle, high school history teacher Zachary Powers has dealt with the difficulties of transferring weekly units for three advanced placement, dual-enrollment U.S. history courses for juniors, one AP European history course for seniors and one elective on “history, movies and society” to Google Classroom.
Though students are knowledgeable on how to use Google software thanks to iPads that the school has provided in recent years, Powers has seen quickly how many aspects of live classroom discussions do not translate to online learning.
“We might all be discussing and learning about the Era of Good Feelings or the Progressive movement, but each class is looking at the material from a different angle because the students in each class are unique,” Powers said. “There is simply no replacing that.”
Many students, Powers noted, also have parents who are still working at businesses deemed “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as grocery stores, hospitals or pharmacies, giving them the responsibility of looking after younger siblings. He and other teachers have been communicating with students and parents via email and phone calls daily to make sure students have access to classes and learning tools.
“Students at Presque Isle High have been handling this with a sense of perseverance that you often find of anyone that has grown up in Aroostook County,” Powers said. “Even though we can’t see each other on a daily basis, we are one email or Google meet away. A global pandemic can’t and won’t change that.”
Still, Powers anxiously awaits the day when he can once again stand in front of a classroom and interact with students one-on-one.
“[This experience] has taught me just how much I love and miss my kids.”
