NEW BERN, N.C. — Teachers are exhausted. Kids are falling behind in school. And the pandemic is largely to blame. So what are teachers doing about it? Craven County Schools' teacher of the year says they can't take failure personally, but they have to challenge themselves to help their students grow.
What You Need To Know
Many kids are behind their grade level in school due to the pandemic and online learning
It has been exhausting for teachers, who have to catch students up in each of their classes
Only about 33% of students are actually on grade level in Arnita Morris' eighth-grade math class
Teachers are doing longer classes, small groups, tutoring and extra assessments to help close the gap
The students in Arnita Morris' eighth-grade math class are not always learning the same things. That means this past year of teaching has been especially exhausting because not all of the eighth-grade students are at the same math level. In fact, only about one-third of Morris' class is on grade level. The rest range between fourth- and seventh-grade level.
“We've never done this before so there's no playbook or best practice,” Morris said. “You just do your best and lead with your heart, and that's it.”
Morris blames the pandemic and online learning for kids falling behind. Now teachers have to use online programs to assess what grade level students are at.
H.J. McDonald Middle School, where Morris teaches, scheduled longer classes so teachers can pull kids into small groups for more individualized learning. She also stays after school for math tutoring.
“I actually have a group of boys ... who are on grade level. So I have them sitting here together,” Morris said. ”And while the class is doing that, I have them moving onto the next thing so I'm trying to accelerate them, while everybody else is doing what they can handle.”
Morris says teachers try to anticipate what their students need, but they have to be flexible.
“If something's not working in the classroom, my kids tell me,” Morris said. “My goal is to build a good relationship with my kids, help them be the best version of themselves and help them grow.”
Morris says many of these issues are going to continue trickling down the line as the students move from one grade to the next. However, she says she will keep trying to support students where they are in any way she can.