Social-Emotional Learning in the Distance Learning Classroom

Posted on by
1

Written by Professor Kelli Green

Dear Educators,

Remember the beginning of the school year? When we spent extra time each day creating a warm and structured learning environment for our students, a safe place for them to express themselves and take risks required to grow and belong as part of a community of learners? In the past month, our world has completely changed due to the coronavirus, moving our classrooms into our homes, where we interact over a distance through technology. Our once-normal teaching and learning environments, full of the expected school day routines and the safety we had so carefully created, have moved into an online audio and video environment with which we have little experience. Continue reading →

Tips to Avoid Zoom Bombing

Posted on by
1

Written by Jason Schmidt

Zoom video conferencing is an amazing free tool teachers can use to connect with their students. Just like anything, though, we’re finding out that something that should be really positive is making negative headlines.

It’s all over the news. Random people are dropping in on classroom meetings over Zoom and causing all sorts of disruption. They hijack the presenter’s screen to share inappropriate or disturbing content. They fill the chat room with all kinds of garbage and disrupt class audibly. “Zoom bombing,” as it’s known, is becoming a favorite pastime of many internet trolls and bored teenagers. Whole communities have popped up, sharing information on how to continue this practice.

While this new pastime is annoying, disruptive, and potentially harmful, you can take some actions to secure your classrooms. Continue reading →

Advancing Your Students Through Online Learning

Posted on by
Reply

Written by Angela Hanson

How are you, your students, and their families doing now that COVID-19 has completely up-ended your lives, taken you out of the classroom, and suddenly thrown you into the world of distance learning?

While this educational arrangement may not be your normal, it has been my normal for the past seven years. I teach middle school and, previously, high school Spanish online for the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online. I also homeschool my children, ages 3, 6, 8, and 10.

Given that experience, I want to encourage you as you transition into teaching online to students who are learning from home. It is possible to advance your students in their learning! I also want you to mentally prepare (if you haven’t already) for the possibility that distance learning will be your new normal for the rest of the school year. Continue reading →

School Closures and Distance Learning for Lutheran Schools

Posted on by
2

Written by Rachel Pierson

My body has been beyond the confines of my yard twice in the last two weeks. My attention has been many places around the world. This current global pandemic is unknown and unfamiliar, yet we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God.

Our schools, businesses, and churches are closed. We see hashtags like #StayAtHome, #SocialDistancing, and #ShelterInPlace, and many government and health officials proclaim that we are not allowed to meet in groups. For me, that means that having dinner with the family members that live in the same town—once a weekly occurrence—now are not advised due to the number of people. It means that weekly worship with the family of believers now happens from my living room while many others do the same.

Yet we find new ways to share God’s love as well as continue to help students grow in their knowledge. Some states have proclaimed that schools will not reopen this school year. In others, teachers work overtime to prepare content and deliver lessons virtually, because no one knows yet how long this will last. What are things educators should remember as we embark on this remote learning experience? Continue reading →

Things I’ve Learned About Teaching Online

Posted on by
1

The perspective of a current online grade 7-8 Algebra 1 teacher and former high school math teacher

Written by Emily Grunwald

The coronavirus has created new challenges for teachers and students. With little time and training, teachers are moving lessons online. I’ve been teaching math online for the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online (ALHSO) program for several years. Here are some things I’ve learned. Continue reading →

Confused About Concussions?

Posted on by
Reply

Written by Joanna Chartrand

Concussions. Have you experienced one? Maybe it was yours, and you remember the pain, nausea, or disorientation you felt. Maybe it was a student you were coaching, and you remember the weird way he was acting, or that stale blank look on her face. It’s a scary situation, isn’t it?

I’ll never forget mine—except that I did. About 20 minutes’ worth was just black. When I came to, another 10 minutes passed before I could remember what day it was, what time of year, even my own name. That’s scary. Continue reading →

Administrative Release Time: A Paradigm That Requires Change

Posted on by
1

Written by Harmon Krause

In the last two years, 60 principals walked away from their positions in a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) school, affecting 19% of the schools (J. Rademan, personal communication, October 9, 2019). These principals either resigned, retired, or took non-principal positions. The WELS school system cannot sustain these losses.

I was one of those casualties. In particular, I struggled to maximize my Administrative Release Time (ART). ART is the time that schools release principals from teaching to focus on administrative tasks. I wasn’t open and transparent about how I used my ART, and that caused friction and trust issues between my staff and me.

For me and many other principals who teach and serve as principal, issues of administrative release time (ART) are critical. My master’s thesis sought to expand on previous research about ART conducted by Schmill (2009) and Meyer et al (2015). Here’s what I learned. Continue reading →

Are WELS Schools Truly Multicultural Underneath the Surface?

Posted on by
3

Written by Grey Davis

The student body in some Lutheran schools has changed in the last 20 years. As the world globalizes, Lutheran schools see an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission (Hoover, 2013). Increasingly, schools use access to education as a means to share the gospel of Jesus with young souls of all races and ethnicities. While such schools have physically added students with diverse backgrounds, they sometimes fail to meet the hidden needs of a changed school population.

A main challenge for multicultural schools is meeting the needs of students from minority cultures. Enrolling a diverse student body is only part of the challenge. While it may be intuitive that schools need to offer an education that meets the needs of all their students, schools may not recognize the need to reduce bias toward those cultures (Shannon-Baker 2018). Before accepting students of new races or cultures, school administrators should first prepare the school to welcome them and teach them well (Akcaoğlu & Arsal, 2017). Schools will want to slow the roll on accepting students until they grasp what it takes to operate a multicultural program. Continue reading →

Poverty and Education: What Being Poor Does to the Brain

Posted on by
5

Written by Dan Johnson

What does poverty look like? Can you tell by looking at the students who walk into your room? Are they hungry? Dirty? Sleepy? Does poverty only affect those in large cities and urban areas, or can you see poverty in rural and suburban schools as well? It may be possible to see some of the signs of poverty in students as they come into your classroom, but what can a teacher do?

What is poverty?
The federal poverty line for a family of four is $25,750 in 2019. Poverty is defined as not having sufficient income to meet basic needs. Many families struggle to meet these basic needs. Even those families above the poverty line, at 130-200%, earning up to $51,500, will continue to exhibit signs of poverty. Continue reading →