Interviewed by Kate Boone, Diya Rao, and Tula Tamayo
On Tuesday, April 6th we were fortunate enough to ask a few questions to Mrs. Anders, our South Loop Middle School Assistant Principal.
We began by asking her a question about herself.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I don’t watch much TV but when I do I watch mystery or crime shows. I also enjoy puzzles such as rubix cubes.
We then proceeded to ask more questions about her thoughts on the new hybrid learning plan and her role in this time at the school.
Q: What do you do as Assistant Principal of the South Loop Middle School?
A: I am responsible for scheduling and ensuring that instruction is being run properly. I am in charge of discipline and I assist Ms. Shelton if she needs help. I’m in charge of looking over grades and progress reports. Sometimes I have to monitor recess, make sure learning continues and make sure teachers are aware of the procedures and guidelines. Since hybrid learning began, we have to make sure they know the policies in place. (We, referring to Administration)
We asked Mrs. Anders how she worked out the new hybrid schedule and we learned that it is a very long and elaborate process! In summary, here are the steps she followed to ensure the safety of all our students.
The steps for her to make the schedule are the following.
- Identify what students are coming back to in person learning
- Identify what students are going to what building and what class
- Determine the supplies for kids to learn e.g. chromebooks, wipes, hand sanitizer etc.
- Make sure students follow protocols and remain in their own pods.
- Plan out the lunch and recess arrangements.
- Revise/look over plan
Finishing the whole schedule would normally take almost a whole summer, but in this case, it took us about a month.
Q: How do you think hybrid learning is working out so far?
A: I think it’s working. We thought some students would find it difficult to follow CDC guidelines but we were very thorough and it seems to be working quite well. Our focus was not to make it fun, it was to make it a safe learning experience.
Q: To close up this interview how do you feel about hybrid learning? Do you think it will be successful? Do you think it will be a good change over all for the students, staff, and community?
A: I think that learning as we know it will and has changed, snow days are gone. On the days where a teacher might be sick you might still have them. I think it’s a positive thing because some students really do benefit from remote learning and hybrid. I think that it really has benefited lots of kids. It also benefits them from the technology aspect of their life and now we can utilize the tools of tech. I think over time more families will be comfortable with coming in person.
Thank you Mrs. Anders for giving us the opportunity to speak with you and learn the hard work that goes into having hybrid learning work.
