Many teachers in Yellowknife are feeling stretched to the limit working remotely while schools are closed, education leaders say.
Remote learning took effect when all schools in Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilo were closed on May 3 amid the the COVID-19 outbreak at N.J. Macpherson school.
It was the second round of virtual education in Yellowknife after the initial COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 shuttered all schools in the territory to in-person learning.
Challenges for teachers and students
The change to remote learning was stressful even before the virtual classes began for students on May 3, said NWT Teachers Association (NWTTA) President Matthew Miller on May 12.
“As ready as you can be, it is not as simple as pushing a button,” he said. “Students who excel in class do not always translate into online learners. Some supports offered in the class cannot be put in place for a student working from home. There are many personal considerations because many teachers are parents, too.”
The full days spent in front of computer screens proved challenging for many teachers as well.
“Some teachers felt comfortable with the full schedule as it brought some normalcy, but that was not the universal feeling,” Miller said.
He noted that the sharing of Chromebooks and other learning technologies with students proceeded more smoothly this time compared to 2020 though “still not perfectly.”
He commended the work of some school administrators and teachers who created class schedules that allowed siblings to be online at different times.
To encourage teachers across the territory, the NWTTA has posted images on its Facebook page showing indoor and outdoor activities that its members do to take care of their mental health.
“As difficult as this year has been, there is no doubt educators have remained professional and continue to offer their best to the students of the NWT,” Miller said, just hours before chief public health officer Dr. Kami Kandola announced schools would reopen on May 17.
Miller spoke a day after some members of the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (YK1) board of trustees expressed concern about the condition of teachers working remotely since May 3.
‘Unsustainable amount of time online’
Trustee Al McDonald said in the virtual meeting on May 11 that he was “extremely worried” about the conditions teachers and families are currently experiencing.
“Our staff are at the lowest point, in my opinion that they’ve ever been,” he said. “As we forge forward, the amount of time they’re spending online isn’t a sustainable amount. If a family has four students in YK1 schools and they have only one device, the math does not add up.”
McDonald added that very few teachers are trained to properly deliver programs online and that more work needs to be done to equalize the work loads of staff.
Yk1 superintendent Ed Lippert expressed sympathy with teachers and agreed that the time spent in front of screens can be problematic.
Teachers have tried to implement alternative educational activities, such as paper packages, reading books or building projects that take students away from computers.
But he said that teachers are doing exceptionally well in the circumstances, considering that they received late night calls on May 2 informing them schools would close the next day.
“Very suddenly to get a call at midnight on Sunday and (being) told school is closed the next day and needing to get things ready. That’s literally what happened. I feel badly for many of our students and parents who were also learning (about closures) that night or the next morning. We hope for better times in the future because this has been a wild year.”
‘Excited to return to classes’
The situation hasn’t been as stressful for teachers at Sir John Franklin High School as it has at other schools in the city.
After the “gigantic” step to online learning that Sir John teachers experienced last year, it was a more straightforward transition on May 3, said principal Dean MacInnis.
”There has been stress but not necessarily with the shift to remote learning, more just stress about the outbreak. The teaching component for my staff was probably the least stressful,” he said.
Before the N.J. outbreak, the format of Sir John classes was already set up so that students had more self-study time in the afternoons.
“Teachers do Zoom and Google meetings with our classes all morning. The afternoon is more drawn back for tutoring time and homework time. If (the closure) was going to go longer we would have to expand the amount of screen time to finish our courses.”
With schools permitted to reopen on May 17, MacInnis said both teachers and students are excited to return to in-person learning.
“I’ve been hearing from staff how happy the kids are to get back on Monday. We only have classes for one more month, so time is precious not just to see their friends but to finish their courses.”
Not all students will be able to return on May 17 as some will still be waiting for their COVID-19 test results to clear them to leave self-isolation.
MacInnis couldn’t specify how many would still be isolating on May 17 but plans are in place so they can continue remote learning until they can return to in-person classes.