San Antonio – After back and forth decisions and changing state directives, most districts are beginning the year with online learning and teachers are having to adapt, setting up a school year like no other.
Under Texas Education Agency guidance, schools can teach remotely for up to eight weeks without risking full funding. After that, districts must apply for a waiver that the agency will review on a case by case basis.
Emily Miketinac, a first-grade teacher at Tuscany Heights Elementary School in Northeast Independent School District, said setting up her classroom is a whole different task in the COVID era, and invited KSAT for a sneak peek.
"It's a little empty right now," Miketinac said, pointing to desks still stacked in the middle of the room. "I'm not welcoming students into this classroom for at least another three weeks, so we have some time to really understand the regulations and protocols and what that's going to look like."
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When classes start Monday, Miketinac will be kicking off the new school year with virtual instruction.
“We have all but one teacher physically teaching from their classroom,” Miketinac said. “Then, on every grade level, there is one to two teachers who will stay virtual the entire year.”
The number of teachers working from home varies by campus, Miketinac said. Her main concern is being able to reach out to and get to know kids who cannot make it online for every lesson.
“I wanted to return to the classroom. I’m ready to be back in a routine. I’m ready to love my new group of littles and get them in here safely when it’s possible and teach them the best I can through a computer screen for the time being,” Miketinac said. “A lot of them are from two-parent working households, so (there’s) just a concern of how I’m supposed to teach them most effectively if they’re not able to get on our live learning Zooms every day.”
To make sure every student gets off to a good start, Miketinac said she is meeting each parent and student virtually this week before school technically starts.
"We have 10-minute slots with each family on Thursday so they can get to know me and I can get to know them," Miketinac said. "It's going to be a different world. I'm relying a lot on the notes from their Kinder teachers."
In the meantime, Miketinac is preparing her new classroom setup for when students can come back to the classroom.
“This used to be where my colorful rainbow carpet was, where a good chunk of first grade takes place every day. But that has since been removed,” she said, pointing to a large, empty area of the ground.
All around Miketinac’s classroom are COVID safety signs reminding students to keep their distance and wear their masks when they are not sitting at their desks.
“Students can’t share supplies this year, so we’ve purchased these individual plastic bins that will stay in their own cubbies,” Miketinac said.
Two local school districts, Edgewood ISD and South San Antonio ISD, have approved online learning for the first eight weeks of school. Other districts have only approved it for the first three or four weeks.