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Teaching hands-on classes is hard enough as is, and it just got so much harder last semester when art and woodshop classes were forced to close their doors because of precautions related to COVID-19.
“It’s really hard trying to teach woodshop online,” said Brandon Olsen, shop teacher at NS. “There’s no online program that can replace the hands-on component.”
It’s even harder when the correct materials haven’t arrived. Paul Allred, NS art teacher, experienced this first hand last semester.
“The clay was the nightmare part,” said Allred. “The bad thing was when they shut down, the clay company in California–they couldn’t get the clay”
Eventually the clay arrived, but until then…
“I had to use the old clay,” Allred said.
Allred did this by shaping and working with the clay for hours just to get it to a sufficient consistency for his students.
“It’s always worth it if a kid can learn,” Allred said.
Then he spent seven days, two hours per package, and 14 hours by the bus just to hand out supplies.
NS wasn’t the only school with a clayless ceramics class. Juab, Manti, and Gunnison were all in the exact same boat.
Olsen didn’t quite do the same thing as Allred when it came to supplies.
“You can’t exactly check out some of the equipment we have,” Olsen said. “We went to the textbooks. It was bookwork; I had to give them something.”
Most students were forced to set aside their projects while at home because they didn’t have access to the proper equipment.
“It wasn’t as much fun,” said senior Rance Christensen. “We couldn’t finish our projects.”
However, not finishing the project last semester didn’t stop all students.
“[Shutting down] gave a lot of other students a lot of drive,” said Christensen, “Me, I love the class. I always try to do my best.”
While it was difficult shutting down the classrooms, there are a few perks that came with going online.
“I got to teach in my pajamas every day,” said Auralee Brooks, NS sewing and foods teacher.
While Brooks was loving the pajama look, Olsen took the time to reflect on how he teaches.
“It gave me a moment to reevaluate the way I go about teaching,” Olsen said. “It’s a balance, a little this way, a little that way.”
Olsen wasn’t the only one to reflect, so did Allred. He even went as far to question if he should change some of the ways he teaches.
“It really made me focus on what the kid needed to know,” Allred said. “Even now I think, ‘Should I change some of the ways I teach?’”
Some teachers were forced to change their ways, and Olsen saw this as a good thing.
“If we can look at the shut-down with anything positive, it was that it forced a lot of teachers including myself to incorporate Canvas,” Olsen said.
Canvas is an online tool used in and out of classrooms that focus on using online assignments.
If the school ends up shutting down again, Olsen hopes it’s only for a two week time, and he is still prepared.
“I’m more prepared to be more effective,” said Olsen.
Brooks also might make a few minor changes. Last semester was rough because due dates were all over the place.
“I would also strictly enforce due dates,” said Brooks. “[Last semester] for the longest time I didn’t have any grading, and all the sudden my grading was there.”
