Advice for educators on how to prepare for the possibility school is canceled due to coronavirus

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Although there are no cases of COVID-19 in Southeastern North Carolina at this time, parents and educators should prepare for the possibility that schools will be canceled once we do see a case, according to an expert in the education field.

Jenn Breisacher, the Chief Education Officer at Student-Centered World, which helps to guide teachers in their overall use and implementation of student-led learning in the K-12 classroom, shared information on what educators can do to plan out several weeks worth of engaging lessons if, in fact, their school ends up closing for an extended period of time.

She wrote a piece for her website to help as many teachers as she can to navigate this uncharted territory. You can find that piece here: https://www.studentcenteredworld.com/school-absence/

Breisacher said preparation is key.

“As early as possible, decide what particular standards you wish for your students to achieve during the school absence,” she wrote. “This might be a bit tricky given we don’t know how long a school shutdown will definitively take, but you can give your best estimate as to what standards you would like them to master in a given time frame. Then, you need to give them some baseline information. Show them a 5 minute long YouTube video or go through a brief overview in the form of a reading. Perhaps have conversations with each one individually, especially if they are younger.”

She said this will help make this situation less stressful for students and their parents.

She recommends giving children something to be excited about while they’re stuck at home.

Breisacher will join us on WECT News First at Four Thursday to talk more about her advice.

For the rest of her tips, click here.

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