We have all been bombarded by news of the swine flu but I think many of us are now seeing the swine flu in action. I believe we have encountered flu season a little early this year and I am seeing the affects more this year than I have ever in the past. In my school that has six classrooms of kindergarten and first grade students for a total of 91 students had an average of 23 students gone each day last week. We also had two of six teachers gone for a day. The students that are missing school are usually out for about 3-5 days. In my classroom I had 7 of 16 students gone for two days and I now have a huge pile of make-up work for these students.
I read an article from the St. Cloud newspaper that discusses similar problems. Many of their schools have had large numbers of students gone and teachers as well as students are having trouble keeping up with all of the work students are missing. Parents are calling to pick up make up homework and some teachers are having trouble keeping up with those demands. When students return they are overwhelmed at the work they have missed. Some of the teachers have tried to offer lessons students have missed online through blogs. Other teachers have just been scaling back on homework. They will spend some class time reviewing the previous day lesson and only assign the necessary homework in hopes that students won’t feel so overwhelmed when they return. I also found online that Scholastic has 20 days of work that students can work on while they are missing school. I didn’t find it super helpful but it is a nice resource to have available and I give Scholastic credit for trying to help!
I think schools and teachers are doing the best they can in this situation but I am finding myself and my class is a tough situation. Last week I slowed down my teaching and did lots of reviewing so the students missing didn’t miss so many new concepts but I can only do that for so long. The long weekend helped so the students missing had some extra days to recover but they still have a large pile of work to do when they return. I have gone through and picked what I find necessary for them to complete but I still feel that I need to go back and do some re-teaching for the handful of students who missed all three days last week. Is that the right decision or should I just send the work home and hope that parents do their part and catch their child up so the rest of my class isn’t sitting there bored or should I be letting students go home with little homework since many are still working to get healthy? Have you had similar problems in your classroom? I have not tried doing a blog or anything like that because I don’t think there is too much I could do through a blog. Have you tried anything different to help students catch up? I would love to hear anyone’s input on what the school or teachers could be doing different during this flu season because I’m afraid it’s going to be a long one.
Why restructure? Does it really do anything?
15 years ago
Hi...
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transmetteur fm
Hello Trista-
ReplyDeleteI have sent a lot of homework with students when they have come back and I have stayed after to help those sick catch-up on concepts. I have tried to be more flexiable but as you mentioned it is a lot of extra work. I am not sure how other teachers do it with the blogs but I have the advantage of uses eCompanion which is a shell for online learners to go to and get assignments that they have missed in my class. It is similar to what VCSU used during the flood.
To answer your question in more depth, I would have to say that the parents will need to step up a bit more and help the child with the work, I mean you can only review so much in the classroom. Keep up the fight and have a good week.
I agree you can't review forever. We have just begun seeing flu in my school and I expect absences to increase quickly. I have always questioned just how much work a sick child can do at home. If they are able to concentrate on schoolwork they probably aren't that sick. I also have the obstacle of parents who aren't able to help; they may not speak English or are just under-educated themselves. The only option that has worked for me is after school help. There is one team at my school where each teacher stays one afternoon for 45 minutes to help with any homework. This seems to work as they share the load. I agree that the parents also need to step up even if it is only by picking the child up after hours so they can receive extra help.
ReplyDeleteI think slowing down is a good idea. I know you can't keep it up for long because there is so much to get through in a year. But I have found that even when I have all my students present and am at full speed, it isn't worth it because I have a few that are fighting off colds, or a few who are at the start of the flu and don't realize it yet. One of the teachers in my school had 8 students missing one day. She was at a loss of what to do also. I try and have students help those who were absent. For example, I have my higher students work with them and I have them review together. Or I have my para or a helper work with my students as well to review skills with them which they missed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and stay healthy.
I have been fortunate that I have had only one student out of school for the week, other wise they have all been there. When that student did return, I did more review, but felt that the other students were bored after a few days of reviewing and at times, rushed through some of the material. I did send material home when the parents came and got it. In my daughters class she told me that the had 7 kids out of their class last week. I ran into her teacher this weekend at Target and I asked her what she was going to do when they all returned. She stated that she was going to utalize her practicum students, her parent volunteers, and paras to pull some the students during their "independent" work time and milk breaks to help those students who were gone last week.
ReplyDeleteMy husband thinks that if all outside activities where cancelled this will help lessen the number of kids getting sick. He feels that a lot of outside activities run down kids and they are more prone to getting sick.
This is a tough situation. You need to meet the masses yet it is not just 6 or 7 that are consistently out. It is 6 or 7 this week and a different 6 or 7 the next week. I was introduced to a huge rate of student absences when I taught at a high school last year. I could not believe the amount of random absences not just for sickness.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, you can not review forever and you have to keep on track. I think taking it slower and giving less homework is a must. Also, inspiring student to press on and maybe chunking the homework will help. Don't send it home in all one pile; give them manageable parts.
Parents need to step in as well. Providing times when the parent and student can come in will help as well.
Allowing in-class tutoring sessions with student-to-student might be an idea. In elementary class, their is usually morning work or read aloud that could be cut out to incorporate this tutoring to catch students up that would miss. The best way to learn is to teach. Students could get in on this with a well planned outline to follow.
Keep up the good work.
Philip