Killarney Guide

Staff empty out lockers and teach remotely, while students work from home, and wonder what lies ahead

BY KIM LANGEN

Over the past week, some 500 lockers in a silent and emptied school were deprived of their contents.

Staff at Killarney School painstakingly opened each locker, placed what was inside into a labelled plastic bag, and then moved on to the next one.

It was just part of preparing for the end of an unprecedented school year; and one which no one has ever seen the like of in their lifetime.

“It was a large undertaking,” said school principal Terry Beazley, on Wednesday. “We have never had to do anything like this before, on this type of scale. We started bagging on Monday – the staff, education assistants, and myself and vice principal Erica Hilhorst – and we’re nearly done. They are all bagged up in the north gym. There are hundreds of them.”

Hilhorst added that the plastic bags were arranged alphabetically, with family groups together, in readiness for pickup later in the week.

“We are avoiding transfer between people,” she said. “It will be a one-stop shop. People can pick up their bags, and drop off student’s completed work at one time. This way people won’t have to keep coming back to school, which is closed to the public.”

Beazley said his staff had been remarkable in dealing with the whole process of this ever-changing teaching world, thrown into uproar after the sudden onslaught of the deadly pandemic of COVID-19, a novel Corona virus.

“There’s something fresh every day,” said Beazley. “But we have a lot of people with good heads, and lots of experience. Our staff has just stepped up whenever we have asked. It’s been awesome. What are the hardest things we have faced? I would say there are a couple of things. The whole COVID-19 situation, the rules and guidelines, the news – things are changing quite often. We make a plan, and then we have to change it. It’s been very hard from a messaging standpoint. That’s been fairly difficult, and people have to have a lot of patience.”

Losing the face-to-face contact between teachers and students is also proving difficult for everyone, he said.

“The whole change from classroom to distance learning is no substitute for the real thing,” he said. “Independent and mature learners can do fairly well with distance learning and correspondence courses, but it’s harder for the younger kids. Parents are doing okay, but not every parent is comfortable with online platforms. And I can’t imagine a family with multiple kids at home, and all the issues going on; and now they have to help their kids with learning at home, and have that dumped on their laps as well. Some people are overwhelmed. We sent out a short survey on Tuesday to see how they are doing. The reason for the survey is because we need some hard data, not just anecdotal evidence. And we are getting replies back already.”

One other major concern is the varying level of connection that has become evident within the remote learning scenario between students and teachers, said Beazley.

“We have been following just how engaged teachers are with their students,” he said. “And every class is different; every course is different. We are looking at how many are fully engaged, partially engaged, or if there is no engagement at all.”

The results are often good, and yet some are also alarming.

“Sixty per cent are fully engaged, 25 per cent are partially engaged, and 15 per cent we haven’t heard from at all, even after multiple attempts to get them engaged,” said Beazley. “They have fallen through the cracks. It’s not just one age group; they are across the board.”

Hilhorst said that when teachers are planning their lessons, they also have to consider the home situation. 

And some new and refreshing results have popped up in living rooms and kitchens, she added.

“For some it’s not a new platform, but it is a new level of engagement,” she said. “And the expectation is that the students remain engaged until the end of June, which is the normal ending date of the school year. Some teachers are seeing different examples of creativity in the kids that are working at home. For example, one student recently used mathematical measurement in a creative way (see page 8), using his own pet ‘Easter’ rabbit and a measuring tape to measure the length of hops.”

So how are the spirits of the teachers holding up?

“People are doing pretty good,” said Beazley. “They all have their own personal story about COVID-19. One day they are doing okay, and then they have a moment. Certainly there is anxiety, and this is a bit of an issue. There is also uncertainty, restlessness, a feeling that you want to get going, but you can’t.”

Hilhorst has also observed uncertainty in the school staff, and the students, but she has also encountered strong resilience. 

“There is uncertainty, to the school, to the personal, and to the town,” she said. “And what is Grad going to look like? It’s a massive thing to happen to them. It’s their last three months of school.”

To cope with all these situations, which are all happening together at once, Beazley is offering both his personal support and great empathy.

“People need to be patient with themselves, and ask for help if things aren’t going perfectly,” he said. “We can help. People can call me directly on my cell phone, at 204-523-4178. We also hear things, including that domestic violence is up, and that the number of Kids’ Helpline calls are increasing. If they need to use that number, which is operated by the Province of Manitoba, they can call in at: 1-800-668-6868.”

And lastly, what about that delicious and wafting breakfast cart that used to grace the entrance hall each morning at school for kids who had missed the meal? 

Beazley says it has just changed route.

“We took the funding for our Breakfast Program, and we decided to use that money to help the Killarney Food Bank,” he said. “They are using it to help add more breakfast items to the family hampers.”

PACKING IT UP AT KILLARNEY SCHOOL – Killarney School principal Terry Beazley (left) and vice principal Erica Hilhorst (right) take a moment’s rest on Wednesday – while respecting social distancing – as work continues to pack up all of around 500 students’ locker belongings into labelled plastic bags this week. On Monday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., parents and students will be picking up their bags, and dropping off completed schoolwork, in an orchestrated staggered fashion, to keep human contact to a minimum.

JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTO

SUPPORTIVE STAFF – The staff at Killarney School got together, mostly from home, to photograph themselves for a special collage, arranged by teacher Kat Poulin. The thoughtful collages were shared with the students, and on social media. 

MADE IN MANITOBA – “A local (Manitoban) YouTuber that I follow on Instagram did a collage with different YouTubers from around the world with an uplifting message,” said Kat Poulin. “So I thought it would be nice to do something similar for our students and the community of Killarney.”

THINKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS – “In times like these, I think it is so important to come together and support one another,” Kat added. “My hope was that these collages might bring a smile to a student’s face, and let them know that their teachers are thinking about them and wish them well.”

Korman class creativeness from home…

EASTER RABBIT ARITHMETIC – Mason Kinsey recently used mathematical measurement in a creative way, using his own pet ‘Easter’ bunny and a measuring tape to measure the length of his hops. It was part of a math assignment for teacher Terell Korman’s Grade 2/3 class. 

SAILBOAT BUILD – Another Korman class challenge was to build something, anything, and Nixon Klassen came through. He built a sailboat out of recycled materials, and set sail on the pond in his back yard.

DOG DAYS – Jaxson Cullen took on the Korman class reading challenge with a buddy. Keep watching The Guide for more fun photos from home, and for more on the ongoing education component of the COVID-19 crisis.