N.S. students who stay home will receive learning materials from teachers
A week after in-person learning resumed in Nova Scotia, teachers are being told that in addition to in-class learning, they must also provide lessons for students who choose to stay home during the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
A letter was sent to teachers Saturday night from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Education Minister Becky Druhan said the letter was meant to emphasize one overall point.
"The students who need to be absent right now are to have access to learning materials,” said Druhan.
The email also included, "...teachers are asked to make work and assignments available to families whose children are home at this time.”
Druhan said teachers will not mix online teaching with in-class learning. She wants teachers to share assignments with students via email, other forms of online delivery or even through printed materials.
“We are not asking teachers to do anything that they don’t do normally. Or prepare any materials that they normally wouldn't be preparing anyway for in-class work," said Druhan. "It is not a hybrid model.”
According to Nova Scotia Teachers Union President Paul Wozney, many teachers were unhappy to receive the email. Beyond that he has some concerns.
"Can a kid remain on pace with their in-person peers?" asked Wozney who wants more information on the exact teaching plan going forward.
On the subject of a possible hybrid learning model, his message to the province is clear.
“It sets off a lot of warning bells and a lot of people are worried about what it could mean," said Wozney who added combined in-class and online learning did not work in Ontario.
“Parents hated it, students hated it and staff hated it," he said.
Last week Brittany Snow kept both of her children home from school. On the one hand, Snow applauds this latest move by the Education Minister.
“I think it is important to support families who have to choose to be at home," said Snow. "Whether it is their children or somebody live with who is immunocompromised.”
However, Snow has concern for teachers who are already facing mounting work-loads.
“They are burnt out just like most of us, so they are not going to be able to do this well," said Snow. "It is setting them up for an impossible task.”
Grade 12 student Jenna Kedy was happy to hear teachers will provide learning for students who stay home.
“I think that should always have been a thing. Even before COVID," said Kedy. "Kids with chronic illnesses or some thing that happened in a family; there’s always been a reason why kids have had to miss time.”
Kedy is still not sure if she will choose at-home or in-class learning.
“We are starting a new semester, so I feel a bit more pressure to go back," said Kedy. "There is so much the teachers can put online, but there are things that might not be translated to the internet.”
More information will be made available to Nova Scotia teachers in the coming days, outlining how to provide learning materials for students at home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.