{"id":2458145,"date":"2020-05-06T23:04:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T05:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/remote-learning-takes-it-toll-on-aspen-teachers-students-parents\/"},"modified":"2020-05-07T08:04:53","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T14:04:53","slug":"remote-learning-takes-its-toll-on-aspen-teachers-students-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/remote-learning-takes-its-toll-on-aspen-teachers-students-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote learning takes its toll on Aspen teachers, students, parents"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"742\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-1024x742.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-1024x742.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-1536x1114.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/Elearning-gpi-041720-2048x1485.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Glenwood Springs Elementary School third-grader Troy Flohr, center, and Carbondale Community School kindergartener Allison Bate, lower left, are surrounded by screenshot images of students and teachers throughout the area connecting via online classroom chats.<\/strong><br \/><em>Provided<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Teacher Appreciation Week runs through Friday, but educators aren\u2019t getting much time to hear the accolades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Like the rest of Colorado, schools in Aspen are closed yet teachers are saying their virtual classroom challenges are unrivaled and their workloads overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI cannot be the same teacher I was,\u201d Aspen High School teacher Tameira Wilson told members of the Board of Education during their virtual meeting Monday, adding that \u201ctry as we might, we cannot provide the same, exact experience as we were providing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Wilson, as well as kindergarten teacher Beth Wille, spoke to the board about the teaching difficulties posed by the coronavirus pandemic that shut down schools in the middle of March, prompting the district to begin online learning April 1. Classes finish the semester that way, while the fall-semester picture has yet to crystallize as schools across the state and country must await public health orders concerning in-class instruction and crowd sizes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Neither teacher came to the board asking for time off, an extended vacation or bonus. They instead wanted the board to have a better understanding of the difficulties of remote learning, and made their remarks during the public-comment portion of the meeting, a time when board members listen to community members \u2014 including teachers \u2014 but take no formal action on their concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Echoing the teachers\u2019 concerns were the principals at the district\u2019s elementary, middle and high schools, who said the initial enthusiasm that came with remote learning is waning while frustrations are mounting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere was a braver face we saw at the front end of the pandemic,\u201d said Tharyn Mulberry, high school principal, adding that economic pressures are affecting school households \u2014 whether parents are losing jobs or are working from home, while their children remain responsible for school work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Grades are a concern, as well. Mulberry reported that 28% of the high school\u2019s student body had either \u201cD\u201d or \u201cF\u201d marks this semester, based on recent findings from the high school administration. Teachers are working with the students to improve the marks before the school year ends, Mulberry said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re looking at 156 kids who are having them,\u201d he said of the low grades. \u201cAnd most are failing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">High school administrators and teachers are examining the grades on a case-by-case basis to determine which marks are more consistent with the struggling students\u2019 academic track records, and which ones might be symptomatic of remote-learning difficulties as well as the pandemic\u2019s major toll on everyday living.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s the highest I\u2019ve ever seen since I\u2019ve been here,\u201d said Mulberry, who will transfer to the district\u2019s assistant superintendent role July 1, after being high school principal since the fall semester of 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A lack of social connection also is fueling the educators\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s the evolution of what does it mean to be an online teacher,\u201d middle school principal Liz Meador said. \u201cI think we are realizing that there has to be a lot of social connection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some students have said they \u201creally need their teacher and need their friends, and to be in school, in order to be motivated,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThat\u2019s something they cannot get from an online platform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Wilson is also a single mother of two children in the district. Between those two roles, Wilson said she doesn\u2019t feel she is as effective as she should be at either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs a parent, it is almost impossible to be teaching and working all day and trying to educate my kids, as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">About 50% of the school district\u2019s faculty also have children enrolled in Aspen public schools, said Tom Heald, interim superintendent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Remote learning can be compounded by home life. Some parents are at home working for a living, and in smaller residences that can mean students taking classes remotely from less-than-ideal learning spots, said Kay Erickson, a teachers\u2019 rep with the Aspen Education Association, which represents faculty and staff at the district.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe honeymoon phase is over, as you can tell,\u201d she told the board about remote learning. \u201cBright, shiny, new online learning \u2014 people were really excited about it and now it\u2019s steamrolling every day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got kids working in bathrooms for quiet spots, we\u2019ve got kids working in closets for quiet spots because a lot of our staff and lot of our students just don\u2019t have their own quiet space to work, and it\u2019s extremely challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Affected students cover the academic spectrum, Wilson said, noting \u201cit requires teachers to modify and be on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While Wilson teaches the district\u2019s older students, Wille, a kindergarten teacher, said the challenges of remote education also are daunting in the elementary school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cDoing it over a screen is definitely challenging,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been fun, but it\u2019s also hard for kids 5 years old to pay attention to a screen and me talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some classes can be broken up into Facetime talks or other small groups, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Remote learning looks different from household to household, Wille said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She talked about a single mother of two twin kindergartners who puts her children to bed at 8 p.m., then works from home for a clothing company until 3 a.m., before she rises at 9:30 or 10 a.m. to help her kids with school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cImagine how tough that is,\u201d Wille said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Other households seem to have an easier time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cParents living in Starwood are ordering every art supply you can ever imagine and their kids are in hog heaven and absolutely loving it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd our biggest issue will be getting them to come back to school.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Wille also urged the board to abandon academic assessments this spring; to do assessments would be unnecessarily laborious for students and teachers, and would unfairly reflect student performance and progress with the pandemic as a backdrop, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Elementary School principal Chris Basten said while there are some success stories with remote learning, there is no doubting the psychological toll from the historic disconnect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLast week we had our teachers come in socially distanced and bag up 475 students\u2019 learning materials and snow pants \u2026 and it proved to be an emotional experience for many of our staff,\u201d Basten said, \u201cand the reason for that, what was alluded to, was a kind of a sense of loss and disappointment, and none of us anticipating the school year the way we\u2019re going to end it. But we\u2019re going to end it the best we know how.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:rcarroll@aspentimes.com\">rcarroll@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/remote-learning-takes-it-toll-on-aspen-teachers-students-parents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Glenwood Springs Elementary School third-grader Troy Flohr, center, and Carbondale Community School kindergartener Allison Bate, lower left, are surrounded by screenshot images of students and teachers throughout the area connecting via online classroom chats.Provided Teacher Appreciation Week runs through Friday, but educators aren\u2019t getting much time to hear the accolades. Like the rest of Colorado, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 18:44:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458145"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458155,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458145\/revisions\/2458155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}