by Ashlee De Wit
LANSING, Ill. (May 5, 2020) – This week is officially Teacher Appreciation Week, and this year, teachers deserve some extra appreciation.
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the lives of teachers—along with administrators, staff, students, and parents—across the nation. Illinois schools have been closed for in-person learning since March 17, and Governor JB Pritzker has announced that they will not reopen this school year.
Teachers have faced challenges as they take their classrooms online. They are putting in many hours making videos and adapting lesson plans, grading papers and hosting Zoom meetings. They’re adjusting to new technologies.
Despite the struggle, school communities have done some amazing things. Locally, teachers, administrators and school staff have participated in a parade, discussed important events and reported tough decisions at a virtual town hall meeting, provided computers and lunches for students in Lansing and beyond, used creative methods to reach out to their students, and offered helpful tips for e-learning. Overall, they’ve continued doing their work in trying times.
We appreciate you, teachers! See all the stories in The Lansing Journal’s Education category here.