F R O M T H E C H A I R W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 2 2
ETC Rises to the Challenge
F r o m t h e C h a i r o f E x c e l l e n c e T h r o u g h C l a s s i c s
I was sure there could never be a more challenging year than 2020 . Then I met 2021 . This school year has continued to bring many personal and professional challenges and demands on exhausted teachers and students .
When schools opened for in-person classes in 2021 , educational leadership across the country differed in how they managed COVID and what educational interventions they kept from the prior year . Faculty meetings were held in person but in notably different spaces - large open-air spaces , like gymnasiums , cafeterias , or even outside . Parent conferences also changed as parenting adults now had the option to meet online .
Traci Dougherty
@ magistradee Some schools unmasked while others did not . The choice was personal , and classes now became a mix of both realities - a sea of smiles and masks . Teachers did their best to show flexibility with the ever-changing CDC recommendations as staff and student absences surged while facing a national substitute and school bus driver shortage . As students shifted from home to an in-person environment , learning gaps became apparent . Teachers worked to differentiate instruction for three student groups - those who did the work , those who did not , and those who were still coping with pandemic-related trauma . There were new challenges in teaching and learning in 2021 , and teachers experienced pressure to make up for time lost while working from home .
Over the summer , Excellence Through Classics ( ETC ) volunteers were hard at work . Thanks to Contest Coordinator Cheryl Cheatham , who managed our schedule , ETC successfully shared Zoom account access across seven standing subcommittees and two ad hoc committees . We held 277 meetings and webinars on Zoom for 175 hours . When we weren ’ t on Zoom , we were emailing about all the exciting things ETC would be offering in the fall and winter . Towards that goal , we also sent many emails – over 2,000 emails , to be exact . ETC onboarded a record number of new volunteers throughout the first part of the year . We recruited 25 new volunteers ( all trained online ) from 10 different U . S . cities and nine states .
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