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How the coronavirus pandemic will transform teaching
Our long-held views of schools and the roles of teachers, students, and parents will never be the same. That could be a good thing if we seize this opportunity to make changes that actually result in better outcomes for students and better resources for teachers.
Most parents in a new survey by the National Parents Union said schools should use this time as an opportunity to make changes to education.
- 61% said schools should focus on rethinking how to educate students and should come up with new teaching methods as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
- Only 32% of parents want schools to revert to the way things were before the pandemic began.
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-teachers-school-education-85ba24a3-bb5c-4d4f-bf0d-90b0a20056d2.html
A Grant is Helping Address Distance Learning Needs During the Pandemic
We love it when we support a teacher grant request and then find out that the purchase turns out to help in even greater ways than were anticipated. At MCEF we believe that teachers know what they need to be more successful with more students and sometimes a fairly small investment turns out to answer not only those but also needs that weren’t even imagined at the time of the grant application. Here is a note from Mary Davis, a math teacher at Madison County High School.
“Thank you for all you are doing in support of Madison County Public Schools. These are some uncertain times, and the support of MCEF means more than ever.
Specifically, I would like to express my appreciation for the IPads purchased by the MCHS math department through a grant awarded last Spring. The availability of an IPad has made it possible for me to conduct my dual enrollment math courses online after school closure. I am able to scan all documents with it to post to Google classroom and can connect the IPad as a whiteboard into my virtual classes or into sessions during office hours when I am helping one student. It is nearly impossible to teach math, virtually or face-to-face, without working problems out step-by-step, and the IPad purchased for math teachers by Madison Education Foundation made that possible.
Warmest regards,
Mary Davis”
“Everybody Wins” Honored by the Madison County Board of Education
Based on the recommendation of teachers at the Waverly Yowell Elementary School, the MCEF “Everybody Wins” program was selected to receive recognition at the March 9, 2020, Madison County School Board meeting. Everybody Wins pairs community volunteers with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders who have requested inclusion in the program to read and chat together once a week during the students’ lunch break. Our goal is not to teach reading but to generate enthusiasm for reading.
Attending the ceremony were WYES teachers Rebecca Bader and Marty Ward; David Cooper, Chair and volunteer reader for Everybody Wins; Jeannine Leffel and Dera Cooper Everybody Wins volunteer readers, and several students who participate in the program. Mrs. Leffel was joined at the podium by the two young ladies who have been reading with her for the past two years to share their experiences in Everybody Wins. Each student in attendance was given an opportunity to speak about their favorite aspects of the program which included, spending time with the volunteers, meeting new people, reading, and being members of the group. Those who were in the program last year also mentioned their enthusiasm for the field trip to the Green Valley Book Fair and lunch at the Wood Grill Buffet in Harrisonburg.
Rebecca Bader makes her third-grade classroom available on Tuesdays. She is very involved in helping to manage the program and said that she sees the results of the program trickle into other aspects of learning as the children develop an enthusiasm for reading. School Board member and former MCEF Officer, Arthur Greene, Jr., indicated that he believes “Everybody Wins” is the most impactful of the MCEF programs. School Board Chairman, Barry Penn Hollar thanked MCEF and its volunteers for operating the program, saying “the whole community wins”.
The volunteers of Everybody Wins will be quick to tell you that they get as much out of the program as the children do. There are currently 28 volunteers reading to 34 students and there is a waiting list of students who hope to join the program. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to David Cooper at david.cooperbbr@gmail.com. An application is available at https://madisonedfoundation.org/what-we-do/everybody wins. We would love to have you!
Free Subscriptions to Help Get Through the School Closings
With schools closing across the nation, parents and educators are in bit of a panic as they try to figure out how kids can learn and obtain their education from home. If this sounds like you, stop stressing. This is going to be super helpful!
Each of these websites will allow you to sign-up for FREE and help your child along with their education. It is perfect for homeschooling which is something we are all needing to do right now.
https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/
Waverly Yowell Book Fair Field Trip
In partnership with the wonderful teachers and administrators of Waverly Yowell Elementary School, the Madison County Education Foundation (MCEF) conducts a reading/mentoring program known as “Everybody Wins”. Students who choose to join the program enjoy their lunches while reading one-on-one with an assigned volunteer once a week during the academic year and Summer school. The program has grown from its pilot program in 2017 to 34 volunteers during the 2018/19 school year.
On Friday, May 17th we wrapped up our year with a celebration that included a field trip to the Green Valley Book Fair in Mt. Crawford and lunch at the Wood Grill Buffet in Harrisonburg. We travelled by school bus to the Book Fair where the students enjoyed stories in the “Adventure Tales” section of the Fair and shopping time to purchase a book, compliments of MCEF. The Green Valley Book Fair donated back packs and bookmarks to the students.
In addition to 10 volunteers from Everybody Wins the 32 students were chaperoned by 4 teachers from Waverly Yowell. When we returned to Waverly Yowell, the students were presented with a beautiful array of books and allowed to choose one to take home with them. These books were provided through the generosity of Jeannine Jensen who donated enough books to supply our Everybody Wins readers and donate to the school library. To say that everyone (including the chaperones) enjoyed the day would be an understatement. The students were extremely well-behaved and did Madison proud while having great fun!
