On today's show, Adrian and Ethan talk about parents and teachers concerns over reopening schools this fall. Later we look at some incredible kids with stories to make you smile.
In an exclusive USA TODAY/Ipsos poll, 1 in 5 teachers say they are unlikely to go back to school if their classrooms reopen in the fall. This would potentially create a massive wave of resignations. Though most teachers report working more than usual, nearly two-thirds say they haven't been able to properly do their jobs in an educational system upended by the pandemic.
Another poll of parents finds that 6 in10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending back their children this fall.
This has been difficult for teachers as well. A majority feel they have been thrust into new roles that most say they weren't well-trained to fill. It's just not something we've needed from our educational system in the past. Many older teachers have really struggled with the technology aspect.
On the other hand, the nation’s top pediatricians are urging educators to plan for in-person teaching at schools this fall. "Pandemic or no, children learn best in an actual classroom", the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a June 25 statement. School offers a structured place for children to grow not only academically, but also mentally and emotionally. It is where children learn how to share and socialize.
The pandemic hasn't dampened the spirit of these kids...
12-year-old Cancer Survivor Delaney Brown Raises Money for Others
As the first weeks of the pandemic unfolded, a Chicago South Side sixth grader faced a health crisis of her own: a cancer diagnosis. She was diagnosed on March 13. She was scheduled for surgery on March 26, just as the pandemic was changing everything. Delaney is now cancer free.
Unbeknownst to her parents, Delaney started a GoFundMe campaign as her “passion project,” part of a school assignment for a class at Old St. Mary’s School. She wanted to raise $250 by Memorial Day. She raised $15,805. All the money she raised will go to making care packages with games, coloring books, and other items to comfort kids in the cancer ward at Lurie Children’s’ Hospital.
New Mexico School Buys $2,800 of Supplies for Navajo Nation After Year-end Class Trip is Canceled
Every May, the Waldorf school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, brings their eighth-grade students on a class trip—a trip that the kids have all worked toward, by raising the money selling burritos and pizzas.
But when they were denied their reward this spring because of the pandemic, students decided to show compassion to those in need by donating $2,800 worth of supplies to the Navajo Nation, which is suffering from one of the highest per-capita COVID-19 infection and death rates in the US.
