Philadelphia School District English Teacher Gets Creative During Online Classes

Janelle Burrell reports.

HONEST AND INTEGRITY, FOREXAMPLE, LOG INTO A LOCALCLASSROOM.ALWAYS REMEMBER TO MUTEYOUR MICROPHONE.IT IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD FORSTUDENTS IN THE PHILADELPHIASCHOOL DISTRICT, AS TEACHINGGANNON LINE YESTERDAY.AND THAT WAS PARKWAY NORTHWESTENGLISH TEACHER SHARON SANTANAGETTING CREATE NAY EFFORT TOPREPARE HER STUDENT FOR THECHANGE.AND SHE IS JOINING US LIVE,THIS MORNING, ALONG WITHPARKWAY NORTHWEST PRINCIPAL,JEFF MCFARLAND.GOOD MORNING TO YOU BOTH.SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.AND THANKS FOR JOINING US.GOOD MORNING.GOOD TO SEE YOU, AS WELL.GOOD MORNINGS RISE ANDGRIND.THAT'S RIGHT.RISE AND GRIND.WE START WITH YOU, MISSSANTANA.MORE OF YOUR VIDEO IN JUST AMOMENT.FIRST HOW DID THE FIRST DAY OFSCHOOL GO WITH THIS NEW ONLINE FORMAT?HOW HAVE STUDENT BEEN IN TERMSOF ACCLIMATE G TO THE ON LINECLASSROOMS?YESTERDAY WAS REALLY GREAT.THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WEWENT LIVE.AT PARKWAY WE KIND OF HAVINGBEEN DOING PRELIMINARY ON-LINELEARNING EARLY, SO WE HAD ABIT OF A JUMP.EVERYONE ELSE IN THE DISTRICT,SO OUR KIDS WERE READY.I HAVE A CLASS OF 336789 I HADABOUT 25 STUDENTS PARTICIPATEYESTERDAY.EVERYONE WAS CALM.IT WAS GREAT.WE HAD FUN TIME.STUDENT USED THEIRMICROPHONES, IT WAS GOOD.THAT'S PRETTY HIGH RATE OFPARTICIPATION.AND AS WE SAW THERE YOU HADTHE VIDEO LOOKING TO TRY TOGET KIDS ENGAGED WATCH HAVEYOU SEEN SNOWY KNOW IT ISEARLY ON, BUT WHAT HAVE YOUSEEN SO FAR IN TERMS OF THEIREXCITEMENT TO BE BACK IN THECLASSROOM AND THEIR ATTITUDETHROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS?I THINK THAT THEY'REEXCITED TO BE CONNECTING WITHTHEIR TEACHERS.AND THEIR PEAS.I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, ATHOME, LOOKING FOR A SOCIAL ANDACADEMIC OUTLET.SO CLASSES, YOU KNOW, ALLOWINGTHEM TO HAVE THAT OUTLET,OUTSIDE OF JUST BEING AT HOME,AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TODO ON YOUR OWN FOR TEACHERS TOCOME IN, AND PROVIDE SOMEINSTRUCTIONAL REINFORCEMENT,SOME SOCIAL FUN, IT WAS A BITGALVANIZING FOR THEM, SO ITHOUGHT IT WAS VERY WELL.VERY PLEASED.THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.AND PRINCIPAL MCFARLAND, IMEAN, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THEUNDERTAKING FOR ALL OF THIS TOGET ALL OF THE TEACHERS ANDTHE STUDENTS ON THE SAME PAGETO GET THIS UP AND RUNNING.WHAT'S THAT BEEN LIKE?AND WHAT ARE THE THINGS THATYOU ARE STILL WORKING ONTRYING GET OUT, TO WORK OUTTHE KINGS?SURE T HAS BEEN A MAJORCHALLENGE.WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BASICALLYBUILD AN ON LINE SCHOOL OUT OFWITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER.IT TOOK ALL OF US A DAY OR TWOWITHIN PARKWAY TO COME TO THEREALIZATION THAT IT WASDIFFERENT AND THEN LITERALLY,I CAN TELL YOU, LOOKING BACKIN THE NOTES, IT WASMARCH 17TH, WHERE WE WERE ALLON A CALL, WE SAID, YOU KNOWWHAT, LET'S START DIVING IN.WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TOWE KNOW WE WILL BE HERE FORCOUPLE OF WEEKS, LET'S GO.THE MAJOR SUCCESS, ALMOST AT100% ENGAGEMENT OF OUR SCHOOLAND STUDENT AND SO PROUD OFIT.THE CONNECTION ALSO TILLHAPPENING.THE IMAGINE SICK STILLAND OUR CHALLENGES TO GET BACKTO SCHOOL.THE MESSAGE IS THAT SCHOOL ISNOT OVER.HOW CAN WE ENGAGE, HOW CAN WEGET KIDS MOTIVATED DOLLARSWITHOUT THE TRADITIONALGRADES, QUITE AS STRONG AS ITUSUALLY IS.AND IT TAKES PEOPLE LIKEYOU AND YOUR DEDICATION, ANDTEACHERS, KEEPING THOSE KIDSMOTIVATED, AND OF COURSE THEREIS WEEK IS TEACHERAPPRECIATION WEEK, AND WE ARESO THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU ANDALL OF THE EDUCATORS OUTTHERE.SO MR. MCFARLAND, WAY TO ASKYOU, TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT,WHAT MAKES MISS TAN TAN A ANAMAZING TEACHER?WE CAN SEE HER COMMIT THERE.LIKE THERE IS YOU CAN TALKHE TALK ABOUT THE ARTS,SCIENCES, SHE KNOWS WHAT SHEIS DOING, GOT DIFFERENTSTRATEGY TELL YOU WHAT AS SOONAS SHE RECONNECTED WHEN HERKIDS, THE FIRST WEEK WE TOOKATTENDANCE, THREE WEEKS AGO,AND THE SENIORS WERE AT 95%ATTENDANCE, AND IT WAS DRIVENBY THE IMAGINE TAKE SHE MAKESHAPPEN.IT IS THE ART OF TEACHINGTHROUGH HER AND ALL OF THETEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT.IT IS AMAZE TO GO SEE, TOWATCH, AND I'VE BEEN SOIMPRESSED BY HOW SHE CONTINUESTO DELIVER AND SO MANYTEACHERS DO ACROSS THEDISTRICT.WE ARE SO IMPRESSED, TOO,QUITE ADJUSTMENT FOR ALL OFYOU GUYS, WE KNOW HOW HARD YOUGUYS ARE WORKING AND FOR THESTUDENT JUSTMENT, TOO, BECAUSEA LOT OF THEM, I KNOW MISSSANTANA, YOU TEACH SENIORS,NOT HAVING THEIR PROMS, WON'TBE HAVING THEIR FINAL SPORTINGEVENTS WATCHER HAVE YOU BEENTELLING THEM TO ENCOURAGE THEMAS THEY NAVIGATE ALL OF THIS?WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE?WELL, I PUT OUT A SURVEYEVERY WEEK.AND I JUST KIND OF SEE WHERETHEY ARE WITH THINGS.THIS WEEK, ONE OF THEQUESTIONS WAS WHAT WOULD YOUGUYS LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN?AS FAR AS VIRTUAL GRADUATION,OR SOMETHING WOULD YOU LIKE TODO TO CELEBRATE YOU ALL.AND I GOT RESPONSES LIKE:LETTERS FROM THE TEACHERS, YOUKNOW, HAVE AWARDS, MAILED TOTHE HOUSES, HAVE OUR YEARBOOKS SENT US TO, OR OURHOODIES, SO MANY THINGS LIKE,THAT SO I WANT TO DO WHAT THEYWANT.PART OF MY STRATEGY BEINGCONNECTED WHEN THEM, TALKINGTO THEM, SEEING WHAT THEYWANT, TRY TO EXECUTE THAT.SO AND I REALLY TALK TO THEM AL SHOUT OUT TO CLASS OF 2020.LOVE YOU GUYS.ABSOLUTELY, ANDCONGRATULATIONS TO YOU GUYSFORGETTING THIS SUCCESSFULLYUP AND RUNNING AND TO THECLASS 20620.MR. MCFARLAND, MISS SANTANA,BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.