Teacher Interview with Katherine Collin
KISD, Paetow High School, Sophomore Geometry
1.    Question: At the beginning of the Covid Pandemic, how was the school schedule set up?
Answer: Completely online for six weeks, then went back to face to face after that and that’s how it has been since then.
2.    Question: Were the parents given an option of sending their children to school or participating online?
Answer: They were given a choice. After the initial online though most of the kids returned to school. I would say maybe 10-15% stayed with the online.
3.    Question: Was there tech sent home with the children?
Answer: There were given a chrome book, if they did not have a tablet or computer already. Only about 25% of the student body needed a chrome book.
4.    Question: What LMS and software did you use?
Answer: We used Canvas and Zoom. We had the option to use others if we needed but since we were not given any training on them, most of us chose not to. We also did not want to confuse the kids with software that they did not know before. We have always used Canvas. Using Zoom was new, but it wasn’t that difficult for them to use. 
5.    Question: Do you teach Face to Face and online at the same time?
Answer: Yes, I teach both. I have my Zoom up in the front desk so the online students can see the board and they post their assignments to Canvas.
6.    Question: Do you like teaching online?
Answer: No. It was hard. It was hard to read the students online and check for comprehension. It’s easier to explain things in person, especially if someone has a question, I can just jump up to the whiteboard and write the answer.
7.    Question: How long were the kids expected to be online?
Answer: From 7:15am to 2:35pm. They went from Zoom session to Zoom session for each of their classes just like if they were in the school building. 
8.    Question: What was the hardest thing about online teaching?
Answer: Keeping the kids focused. Getting them to turn in their assignments or even show up for class.

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