Teacher prepares for online classes

Julie Callahan

Teacher prepares for online classes

As the upcoming school year comes to a kickoff, teachers, students and parents are getting ready for online learning.

This year due to the circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) will be fully online for all grades when the school year begins.

Miramar Ranch Elementary School (MRE) teacher Julie Callahan said she is excited for the school year and plans to have a successful year.

Callahan has been teaching in the SDUSD for around 32 years and has been at MRE for the last 16 years.

“This fall will be much different from the spring. We are all on the same page and everything is going to be more structured,” Callahan said.

Online training for teachers began Aug. 24 to help ensure that all teachers are prepared for this upcoming year and gave them more specific guidelines to follow.

Callahan will be teaching third grade this year just as she did last year.

“All of the third grade teachers and I have been having meetings and working together to get this school year going and planned,” Callahan said.

In the upcoming school year, there will be three hours of lesson time, followed by an hour of office hours in which students and parents will be able to have more one on one time with the teacher, if needed. Students will have around two hours of work time alone.

“During my lessons, I’m planning to teach the students a concept and then have them go out in (online) breakout rooms to work together and get them socializing, and then we can come back and regroup and talk about the lesson,” Callahan said.

In the daily three hours for lessons, subjects such as math, literature and writing will be covered. Other subjects such as art, science and social studies will be intertwined throughout the school week as well.

“This year, we are planning to have an early morning recess and a lunch break for the students. It’ll be good for them to have a break in between all of that learning,” Callahan said.

Teachers are allowed to teach from their own home as well as their classroom.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my students and their families and establishing communication with them. I’m going to make sure all the needs of students are met and the trust between the parents and students is there. We’re going to try and make it as similar as the regular school year,” Callahan said.

If instruction were to move to physical in-person classes, the school is preparing.

“Our principal, superintendent and district are all working together for what it will look like when we return. We know that it will be socially distanced if we go back and other precautions will be put in place,” Callahan said.

Callahan feels secure and holds high hopes for this school year.

“This year will be new for all of us and we’re going to make it through by working hard and being flexible. I don’t have any concerns about this upcoming school year. I feel confident that it will reopen with the children when it is safe to do so with the proper precautions,” Callahan said.