Successes

These are success stories from members about teaching and planning around COVID-19. If you have stories that you would like to share, please fill out this survey.

"In Pella we have seen incredible collaboration among colleagues to problem solve the challenges with online learning. We have managed an online lesson schedule together since the week after spring break, providing lessons to our students in grades 5-12. We maintained our level of expectation and changed the delivery method. The majority of our students rose to the occasion and many exceeded our expectations. I can truthfully say that many students seized the moment of more free time and ran with it. It has been inspiring to see our students embrace this "opportunity" and grow!" - Dameon Place

"Kat Breitbach, Trey Hill and I ran a great practice challenge for the 5-8th grade at the end of the year with prizes of pizza and homemade cake. Delivering those was fun for the kids and us and really encouraged some good practice work." - Braden Wipperman

"Early on I asked the parents to send me videos of their child performing anything they wished to perform. It was very enjoyable to see and hear them performing." - Bruce Peiffer

"Our weekly google.meet time with our 7th Grade Jazz Combo has been so valuable. We asked every week if the group wanted to continue to meet - they unanimously agreed to keep meeting. Assignments throughout the weeks included:

1) Researching a jazz artist, listen to some of that artist's tunes, learn a head and report back to the group on their findings 2) "Play & Tell" tunes - some old favorites from their previous band years, some Disney, some jazz - the field was wide open here - students would play a tune and we would guess the name & artist 3) Put together Blues By Five via A ccapella App - very challenging & a good experiment for this group - really show them how keeping solid time is so important! 4) Learned new head tunes on their own to perform for the group, including a 12 bar chorus 5) Recorded their part of Song for My Father, send it to a designated person - that person would put it into iMovie and splice all the solos into the footage where the individual would play & would not have to be synced up like one would have to do with the A ccapella App. 6) Played KaHoot on the last meeting o the regular school year. 7) We are continuing to meet throughout the summer to help prepare this group for the fall" - Mary Crandell

"During the shutdown, we were required to have weekly office hours for our students to check in with us, should they want to. I heard from several parents and other teachers that the students who checked into my office hour, *only* checked into the band office hour; and not only that, I had the highest attendance rates throughout the 2 months. The students planned their day around tuning into our conversations, and they made communication with me and the other band members a priority. Once again, this proves that we make a difference in our students' lives, and we are important to them. During the shut-down, teaching content became subsidiary to the social-emotional needs that band inherently teaches and reinforces. It became evident that the students have put me in their corner for support, as I'm sure students across the country have done with their band directors. Should the need for advocacy cross our paths, I'm confident that we can count on our students to be in our corners too." - Emily Brabant

"I am encouraged with my recruitment for marching band in the fall and I think that is due to my calling every single student in grades 8-11 that were currently in band. It was more personal for them." - Karina Kelso