The Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) is ready to launch distance learning for its students on Monday, just six days after the order came to shut down schools to fight the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The school on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven wasn’t on spring break like the majority of public schools – theirs is during Passover in April – so they were still in full session when they were told to send their students home.
But for weeks Ronit Anihude, head of school, had been watching how the coronavirus outbreak was affecting education around the world and she was already collecting resources in case her school was ordered shut down.
Come Monday, she doesn’t expect their digital launch to be without hiccups, but she is confident students will not just be busy but will also be completing their schooling.
“The goal is not to have them just busy, but interacting and growing as learners,” Anihude explained.
Last Tuesday, Education Minister Rob Fleming ordered all K-12 instruction to be halted but told school districts and independent schools that education must continue.
Anihude pointed out RJDS is not a “technology focused” school so getting the technology into place has been challenging, for example, the school doesn’t have uniform platforms in use.
RJDS teachers had a staff meeting on Zoom mid-week to practice using that conferencing platform, so they’d be ready to use it to instruct their students next week.
“The teachers had a very quick learning curve,” Anihude said.
They have also made sure all families have a computer at home and those who didn’t were able to borrow one from the school.
Anihude recognizes that families are self-isolating together during this pandemic, with many parents working from home offices.
This means students will be learning at home while parents try to work at home.
“It’s going to be a large learning curve for students and families,” she said.
Some curriculum, like food sciences and textiles, will integrate the home environment and students will be asked to help out with things like doing laundry, menu planning and cooking.
A lesson is already planned – with teacher-led video instruction - for baking challah, the Jewish bread made for Friday evenings.
Given the historic time they are experiencing, Grade 7 students will be making a documentary about the outbreak as it unfolds.
A large part of education, though, is social-emotional. The Jewish school plans to touch base with each family every week and guidance counsellor appointments will be face-to-face using Zoom, Anihude explained.
Despite the stress of living through a pandemic and huge sea change in how society is functioning, Anihude is seeing community building happening in new ways.
She has seen the private sector reaching out, for example, with education companies offering their materials for free and tips and ideas being shared on platforms like Twitter and Facebook to help teachers with this new reality.
