By Rachel Wu
The state has asked schools to meet the normal California state standards for each academic area, but the delivery of instruction will be different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Principal Francis Rojas said in a Zoom interview. There is an understanding from the state level down to the school level that schools will not be able to cover everything because of time constraints, Rojas added.
The state lowered the amount of instructional minutes required because not every school has access to in-person learning, Rojas said. There will be no penalty to schools unless students do not attend classes, so MHS is taking attendance, Rojas added. Soon, the state will ask schools to record, on a weekly basis, if students are participating by submitting assignments and participating in synchronous learning, Rojas continued.
Classes at MHS are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. “[The English Language Development (ELD) program] gives placement tests at the beginning of the year to make sure that the students are placed appropriately, and… distance learning somewhat slowed that process down,” ELD Department Lead Tonichi Lorenzana said in an email interview. “Additionally, teachers and students not only had to adapt to distance learning, but they also had to adapt to some slightly different class levels and some new curriculum [created in response to new legislation that was passed].”
However, ELD program teachers and students have done much to meet the learning goals; students are using more online resources during asynchronous learning, which allows teachers to split classes into smaller groups, Lorenzana said. Synchronous activities usually involve guided reading, writing, or speaking practice so teachers can give instantaneous feedback and instruction, Lorenzana added. Additionally, over the past year and a half, a large influx of students have moved here speaking little to no English, so many ELD teachers worked together over the summer to plan and discuss curriculum and observations from last school year, Lorenzana said.
Special Education is also adjusting to the distance learning format. “In my Special Education classes, we’ve all had some anxiety and pressure to adjust to joining Zoom and frankly, I’m happy most of my students have been present most days,” Special Education Science Teacher Mark Mullins said in an email interview. “A lot of what I do inside a classroom isn’t much different from distance learning … I already established a Social Emotional component to my curriculum … I embed reading instruction as well as social/communication practice and even conflict mediation. The students are having a harder time, I think, because they have to be more independent on their side.”
The expectation is that students are interactive for the majority of the instructional time, when he first presents content using vivid, eye-catching slideshows to stir curiosity in students, Mullins continued. Then, the class unpacks difficult vocabulary and concepts together, Mullins said. Having the corn snake and creatures, like insects, spiders and beetles, in the classroom is always fun, Mullins, who teaches science, added. Although his teaching style has not changed much, he has made more detailed agendas to better manage the one hour forty-five minute periods, and he still enjoys improvising and practicing his budding comedic talents, Mullins said.
The Physical Education Department is keeping students active over Zoom. “In online PE, we’re currently working on yoga, and we watch forty-five minute prerecorded videos that Mr. Zamudio splits up if he doesn’t want to tire us out in one class,” Freshman Tvisha Nepani said in a phone interview. “He begins the class by giving us tips on how to perform certain stretches that are harder to follow along and explains the exercises before he plays the video. Throughout the video, he gives us tips and water breaks, and we turn on our camera as we perform the stretches.”
In her English IA class, there is still the same level of discussions, reading aloud, and interactions as an in-person English class would, usually starting off with reading aloud and ending with review questions, Nepani said. The only difference is that she collaborates with peers differently, chatting online, doing calls, and using breakout rooms, Nepani added.
Science classes have modified instructional methods to accommodate virtual lectures and labs. “In AP Physics 1, we watch [Ms. Downum’s] lecture videos before class, so during class time, we go over questions and practice problems, and sometimes she goes over some more content in class,” Senior Daniel Ly said in a phone interview. “She lets us out early, but we’re expected to use that time to work on the homework due by the next class meeting. [For labs,] Ms. Downum does a bunch of lab trials for us, we choose a trial’s data to work with, and we complete the analysis for the lab report.”
Painting students are also adapting to distance learning. In the beginning of the year, the teacher gave the class two weeks to pick up watercolor painting supplies on campus, and during those two weeks, students did a small project where they drew their favorite things, Senior Helen Nguyen said in a phone interview. Painting has not been much different from what she expected it to be now that it is online, Nguyen added. During class, the teacher records herself so that students can follow along and learn new painting techniques, and they all paint together and talk about what they are struggling with, Nguyen continued.