By Karen Phan
Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) began “phase two” of distance learning on Tuesday, with teachers receiving the green light to teach and grade new material as soon as possible, but no later than April 7. Learning will be conducted online for the rest of the school year, until the last day of instruction, June 11.
“Remind students of your expectation that they continue to complete assignments and engage in learning just as if they were in your classroom at school,” HBUHSD Superintendent Clint Harwick and Assistant Superintendent Owen Crosby said in an email to HBUHSD staff.
Crosby and Harwick asked teachers to use Canvas as their primary platform for assigning work, grading and giving feedback, but said they understood that teachers might use other sites such as Google Meets to communicate with students.
“When you meet with students as an entire class we recommend that you do so during the same time of day that you regularly meet with them,” they wrote. “This would help prevent students from having multiple Google Hangouts occurring simultaneously, forcing them to choose between classes.”
Several students told Baron Banner that they are okay with meeting within the bell schedule to avoid overlapping video conferences, but most prefer to meet in the afternoon. Others also said sticking to the bell schedule may cause problems for students who have outside commitments.
“[Following the bell schedule has] no effect on me but definitely seems like an issue for households that rely on students to work,” junior Jay Teng said.
Junior Anna Norris agreed that some students don’t have the luxury to attend video conferences at certain times.
“[Teachers] should schedule live … meetings, but also record them in case you don’t go,” Norris said. “Recording them would give students an opportunity to catch up on what was missed. You shouldn’t be punished if you don’t go to live … meetings as well.”
FVHS will follow a subject-specific daily schedule for video meetings instead of the bell schedule, Principal Morgan Smith wrote in an email to FVHS students and their families on April 5.
Crosby and Harwick stated that for many teachers, shifting to the online classroom is a new experience that requires experimentation to figure out what works best.
“I have been teaching an online/hybrid class for 4+ years. The last thing that I would spend my time on is a video conferencing session. It’s exhausting, stressful, & basically unnecessary for grades 6-12,” English teacher David Theriault tweeted.
HBUHSD will continue to “support and share proven online pedagogical strategies used by hybrid online teachers” and provide assistance to all staff, Crosby and Harwick wrote. For teachers who are having difficulty with video conferencing, however, Theriault compiled a list of other distance learning resources and practices.
“We are not broadcasters on a news channel. We are not a reality show. We don’t have a team to help us create daily video content on YouTube. We are teachers,” Theriault wrote in a blog post. “Show students how they can learn while they live. That they don’t have to be somewhere specific in a certain place like a classroom or a video conference in order to learn.”
Above all, Crosby and Harwick reminded teachers to do the best they can and remain sensitive to and accommodating of students’ needs as they navigate distance learning.
“While we might be expanding teaching and learning to include a more content-rich curriculum, remember that our highest priority remains the safety and well-being of staff and students,” they wrote. “We know that you will continue to show compassion and care for each students’ unique situation, and remember that everyone is still adjusting to a new normal.”
HBUHSD has yet to announce how it will proceed with attendance, grading expectations, credits and graduation requirements.
“There is an expectation that the Governor and/or the State Superintendent of Public Instruction may address this issue in the coming weeks,” Harwick wrote in a letter to the HBUHSD community on Tuesday. “In the interim, teachers will resume grading while awaiting further direction from state agencies.
For the time being, Harwick asked teachers to continue grading all assignments and input their third quarter grades by April 9. Spring Break will take place as scheduled from April 13-17.
HBUHSD launched “phase one” of distance learning, which consisted of voluntary academic enrichment activities, last week with its online learning website distancelearning.hbuhsd.edu.
April 5 update: updated to include information from Smith’s email on FVHS’ subject-specific video meetings schedule
