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Teaching During the COVID Pandemic

A deeply complex situation

Peg Maddocks, PhD, Executive Director, NapaLearns
Published on April 15, 2020

Needless to say, life in Napa County education has changed dramatically over the last month. We want to say thanks to everyone who is working so hard to create a solution for the new online strategy to teach our students.

We all recognize how deeply complex this situation is:

  • How do teachers with young kids at home balance between their professional work and their duty as parents homeschooling their child(ren)?
  • How do students balance between schooling and taking care of their siblings?
  • And let’s not forget parents who haven’t taught English and math before: How are they coping?

So, we decided to ask one of our teachers how life has changed for her and her family. Please take a few minutes to watch this short video clip of our conversation with Jen Ellison, Napa County Teacher of the Year, who works at Phillips Elementary School.

WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO EXCERPT: Jen Ellison talks about the #1 thing that needs to happen in Napa Valley in the current environment of schools closed but instruction continues. 

One Thing Won’t Change

Certainly, none of us expected to teach or learn in an online environment. Yes, it is a different learning experience, but one thing won’t change: Each teacher’s deep commitment to each student’s learning. The full interview and transcript are available by clicking here.

We Have Your Back!

Lastly, we want to say to all parents and teachers who are taking on this new role: We have your back! We have created a Facebook Group for Napa County educators with resources for teaching online. And, we are planning an online, on-ramp program for the top career certifications available that will launch in May. We just received a $10,000 grant from Travis Credit Union in support of these efforts!

We will all work together through the hitches and glitches that arise. And, I’m personally confident that we will not only survive this crisis, but we will all be better as a result of it.

Take care, 

Peg Maddocks, Ph.D.
Executive Director
707.265.2712