Western Pa. teachers posting motivational, inspirational selfies for students
Teachers in the region have taken to self-portraiture to let their students – or “kids” – know they care for them through the coronavirus pandemic.
The teachers’ selfies have appeared in compilation videos made by staff at Deer Lakes and Mars Area school districts, and Penn Hills School District is soon to follow.
“We want them to know we’re thinking of them,” said Mandy Beck, a TV production and visual communications teacher at Deer Lakes High School. “We miss them as much as they miss us.”
Schools across Pennsylvania have been closed since March 16, when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered them to shut down to curb the spread of covid-19.
Beck said there is a lot of uncertainty among school leaders during this time.
“Spring sports, prom, all that senior end-of-the-year stuff is up in the air at this time, unfortunately,” Beck said. “I hope for our seniors they can have some of these things and not have their whole senior year ended by this.”
Matt Herdman, a math teacher at Penn Hills High School, said he sent out an email Sunday night after seeing Deer Lakes and Mars Area School District post videos to the districts’ Facebook pages.
“I hope they understand we’re here for them,” Herdman said of his students. Many of them, he said, are seniors navigating through what to do for admissions tests.
According to College Board, the Advanced Placement (AP) tests will be given online without multiple-choice questions and the ACT has rescheduled the April 4 test to a date in June because of covid-19. The organization has also canceled its SAT scheduled for May. The SAT scheduled in June is still slated.
“We’ll find a way to make everything work for (seniors) and give them the experience they deserve,” Herdman said. As far as he knows, graduation has not been changed or canceled.
So far, Herdman has received 30 selfies from teachers and staff throughout the district. He hopes to stitch them all together in a video this week.
One teacher took a picture of himself holding an electric guitar with the handwritten message: “Take this time, learn something new!”
Herdman said Penn Hills students have been engaged in non-mandatory instruction since March 16. Full virtual learning, therefore, has not yet started.
“So there’s enrichment, review type stuff,” he said. “But there’s a lot of kids working, sending emails asking for help. There’s a fair amount of kids being productive and working.”
Deer Lakes will begin online instruction on Wednesday, Beck said.
“I’m sure it won’t be perfect, but we’re going to do our best,” she said.
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