This week our host Cynthia Whittaker Putman is joined by members of the Putnam County Schools (TN) School System who have worked diligently to provide daily lessons as part of the Tennessee Department of Education block of Teach Tennessee.
Meet Jill Ramsey, Sam Brooks, Alli Ledford, Sarah Vaughn, Lindsey Spain and Autumn Clark who rallied to make this project successful. Listen as they share more about their experience teaching to a camera instead of to their usual audience--faces of little learners.
You might not know that when the coronavirus pandemic forced school buildings across the country to close their doors in March, educators reacted quickly, not only to continue students’ education, but help them stay fed, supported and healthy.
WCTE and PBS stations across Tennessee, under the guidance of the Tennessee Department of Education, joined forces to provide a daily block of instructional content created by educators across the state. Becky Magura, WCTE CEO and Dr. Penny Schwinn, TN Commissioner of Education worked together to form this new partnership with the Tennessee PBS Stations. And the Putnam County School System worked to meet the needs of students so learning could continue while schools were closed.
The Putnam County School System was one of three districts selected to provide educator lessons for the daily TDOE curriculum content blocks, which air M-F on PBS stations across the entire state from 10 a.m. until Noon.
To view these Math & ELA lessons organized by grade level, visit the Tennessee Department of EducationYouTubechannel here.
Putnam County Schools (TN) School System Director Corby King worked with PCSS PK-4 Curriculum Supervisor Jill Ramsey as well as PCSS Personal Learning Supervisor Sam Brooks to quickly form the Teach Tennessee Team of educators. The plan was for this group to teach first and second graders using lessons from TDOE.
First and second grade teachers Alli Ledford, Lindsey Spain, Sarah Vaughn and Autumn Clark recorded five 30 minute lessons each week that were aired during the TDOE Teach Tennessee Block.
Along the way, PCSS and WCTE’s Ready To Learn project manager Cynthia Putman have offered support to the teachers by providing tips and resources for presenting lessons on-air. WCTE’s education team has also been distributing a weekly programming grid that aligns program assets to each PBS Program with resources from PBS Learning Media. Click here to explore WCTE At-Home learning resources.
Through a partnership with the state’s PBS stations, Tennessee students have had access to daily instructional content during COVID-19 school closures, starting April 6 and airing till May 29. You can learn more about this PBS Teaching Tennessee initiative on the TN DOE website.
Again, to view the lessons, check out the YouTube channel.
While many have been learning and working from home, Zoom has become a household name with the platform being used by many for conference calls. In fact, our host recorded this week’s radio show from home and special guests were recorded on a Zoom call by Sam Brooks. Check out a recording of their experience here!
WCTE has always known that teachers are superheroes, and it’s great to see that parents agree. NEA Todaypublished a great article on how parents have been taking such an active role to support teachers during this challenging time and we’ve definitely seen this in our Upper Cumberland region!
NEA President Lily Eskelsen García was quoted as saying, “As they always do, educators are stepping up to help America’s students in the face of this unprecedented global crisis.”
The article went on to say that “it’s no surprise then that parents overwhelmingly approve of the job they are doing.”
Additionally, a new National Education Association surveyfound 88% of parents approve of how their children’s teachers are handling the coronavirus pandemic.
The study also found that an overwhelming number of parents (81 percent) approve of school support staff (school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc.) – which is a higher rating than they gave their governor (71%), and their mayor or local government (73%).
“Educators and education support professionals make a difference in the lives of millions of students every day in schools and [on] college campuses across the country, and their work and impact extend far beyond the boundaries of the classroom,” Eskelsen García said. “Never have all of our nation’s educators been more appreciated and seen—even as they work with students from a distance.”
The poll also showed that parents and guardians believe educators are working hard to communicate with them, that educators are finding ways to connect with students who don’t have internet access and they are working hard to give their students one-on-one assistance.
Do you have children or grandchildren learning at home? There’s still time to make the most of these learning opportunities by tuning in Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT for Teaching Tennessee. Tennessee educators are providing a virtual classroom lesson on English Language Arts or Math for grades 1-8. Four hours of content are also being streamed overnight, which viewers can watch live or record.
Teaching Tennessee is available on all six PBS stations in Tennessee, including WCTE, Nashville Public Television, WKNO | Memphis, WTCI-TV | Chattanooga, East Tennessee PBS, and West TN PBS.
%20(1).png)