EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County Schools were unexpectedly shuttered last spring due to the coronavirus. Teachers scrambled to provide instruction on-line, or virtually. Remote learning required a whole new skill set. Teachers had not encountered this way of teaching their students. A completely new vocabulary emerged: Zoom, Virtual Classroom, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Coding, Seesaw, Schoology, Google Forms, Bitmoji, and more.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
From the middle of March to the end of the school year, our teachers struggled to make instruction and learning meaningful. But they were not alone. Students and parents also struggled to make sense of this instructional crisis. Boards of Education and Superintendents struggled to make sure things would be better if this pandemic continued. Chromebook computers and “hot spots” were secured in an attempt to erase the equity gap created by poverty, job loss, geography, and family priorities.
Since the middle of June, the Regional Office of Education has provided more than 35 workshops to help teachers learn how to teach differently. Madison County is blessed to have “Star Teachers” who were teaching superbly in this new environment. They became our teachers of teachers.
Hundreds of Madison County teachers gave of their own time and energy to become the best teachers for our students in this trying situation. After school started this fall, our teachers have been attending after-school workshops, on their own time, to sharpen their skills relative to virtual instruction.
Rob Werden, Regional Superintendent of Schools, said, “I think you will see a difference in the instructional approach your children have experienced compared to last spring. Madison County school districts have raised the bar much higher this fall. We are pleased that we have played a part in helping them clear that bar.”
Regional Superintendent Werden, the Regional Professional Development team, and our hardworking teachers and administrators had a very busy summer to assure that our kids continued to excel. Please express your appreciation to all of them.
