Holding Class Without Students

Christina Lilley has a unique new way to teach. Without students.

She will be teaching her first and second graders with only her computer and a digital classroom. This is what the virus known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus has done to teaching.

She isn't just a regular teacher though, she is a Title One teacher. This is a federally-funded program that is based on students who qualify for reduced lunch and have a learning difficulty.

As she is a specialized teacher, she only sees about 20 students a day, but with only schooling she has reached out to all of her students and has been encouraging them to read. The elementary school teachers are facing a bigger challenge with online schooling than the older students. The younger kids don't have school issued chrome books. To solve the problem of many students not having access to a computer, teachers have gotten creative. Many teachers have given out materials and books for the students to work on as well as turning the SRTV van into a bookmobile for the students.

Mrs. Lilley has transitioned to more online programs, like Scootpad. Scootpad is an online program that helps the teachers the interventions that the students need. She is also coming up with more creative and fun ways that students can work on their skills.

Many challenges have arisen since the closing of schools. One of Mrs. Lilley's largest concerns are the home lives of her students. She is concerned that many of her students may not have the best home lives and it affects their ability to succeed in school, as they may have bigger worries like where their next meal will be coming from. She is also concerned that many of her students do not have support from their parents at home. "I really feel that several of my students were on the cusp of becoming fluent readers. I hope that they do not lose all of the progress they made during the school year." She has concerns that her students will not be making as much progress as they could be without physically being in school.

Mrs. Lilley's students are hard at work on their online scootpad program and she can tell they are ready to be back in school by now. Although many teachers have been giving out packets and supplies to the children, they are not teaching any new material. For now, many elementary school students will not be getting much of an education until more structured programs are developed. Many teachers are holding online meetings a few times a week to come up with new ways to contact and help their students throughout this time of uncertainty.

Mrs. Lilley started her teaching career 23 years ago as a sixth grade science teacher in New Hampshire. She graduated Keene State College in 1997 with a Bachelor's degree in English. She later moved on to reading and english. Over the past 23 years she has taught in three different states, over five subjects, and in four schools.

Recently, Christy has earned her Master's in Special Education from Western Governors University. She plans on using this degree to strengthen her interventions so that they will be more effective with her students that have learning disabilities.