The B.C. government is acknowledging the need for educational assistants (EA) even while physically distancing themselves from the young faces they see on a regular basis.
In Prince George, D.P. Todd Secondary is being used as an example of how EAs are connecting with students during the COVID-19 pandemic after Education Minister Rob Fleming announced the indefinite closure of schools on March 17.
Now that we’re a month into the new remote schooling system, EAs at the local high school, like Caroline Parker, have been checking in with children with diverse needs in both creative and compassionate ways.
“A lot of our students rely on these check-ins,” says Parker in a government release as this also includes students with greater needs and whose parents are essential service workers.
“When we are in class, you can see their body language change when they've had an opportunity to share what was on their mind, either by being extremely proud of an accomplishment or just letting go of a little bit of stress. This is still even more important today to maintain. They need to know that while so many doors of opportunity are closed right now due to social distancing, that we are still here and do care.”
❤️ We are all in this together! #messageofhope #virtualgroupproject #dptoddleadership pic.twitter.com/meOf3SMCQo
— D.P. Todd Secondary (@dptstrojans) April 20, 2020
Online chats and social-emotional check-ins are some of the ways D.P. Todd Secondary support teachers are engaging with students, covering everything from basic subjects and even reading to them over the phone.
And it’s not just the students that EAs have taken an initiative to look after.
Teachers are said to have also been given a helping hand in ensuring they’re being supported during the crisis, which includes making videos more accessible for students.
“Our goal is to make sure that all students who were receiving support in the classroom continue to have access to support virtually,” says Rebecca Lund, a support teacher at D.P. Todd in the same statement, “and that we are supporting teachers to ensure that their continuity of learning is accessible and inclusive to all of our learners.”
The province states EAs are being proven to be very important in helping students online and establishing routines to keep them engaged.
“The Ministry of Education is working with all 60 school districts to balance the needs of families, students and communities, and finding solutions to challenges that nobody has faced before,” the release reads.
As of this publication, Northern Health has 34 test-positive COVID-19 cases.
