Social distancing orders have forced millions of students across the U.S. to adopt remote learning, or tele-schooling, to continue their education amid the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, schools have been grappling with how to continue hands-on courses like chemistry and physical education while classes are on the cloud.
Teachers also had to quickly evolve their teaching style to incorporate digital technologies when schools closed their doors in mid-March. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told Cheddar on Tuesday that they were not prepared to switch so quickly and have been working well with what they have, but online learning simply isn't the same as teaching in person.
"They have done an exceptional job, the best they can in a situation where 20 to 40 percent of their kids don't even have remote education or don't even have internet at home. [There is a] huge digital divide, and we were not prepared for it," she said, adding, "What we've learned is that remote [learning] doesn't work as effectively as in-school learning."
The union recently put out a report which recommended steps that should be taken to reopen schools, but Weingarten said more still needs to be done to finish this year.
"We have to actually help kids sum up the year. We have to calm kids down, calm parents down, try to sum up the year as best we can," she said. "Use next year as a bridge year to really try and take the life lessons." Weingarten also stressed the importance of having mental health resources available to help students process what they went through once schools open their doors again.
Prior to the pandemic, there already was a shortage of school nurses, but the union president stressed that they and other medical professionals will be critical going forward.
"The way you solve the school nurse shortage is the way you solve a lot of the other shortages, which is creating career pathways and you find a way to induce and recruit kids to actually go to college to be a nurse," Weingarten said.
