Hello, and welcome to Education Mindset — a new podcast brought to you by North Dakota United. I’m your host, Tom Gerhardt.
The coronavirus forced an immediate transformation of our education system this spring. We pivoted from classrooms to distance learning in a matter of days. I wondered, how are educators educating?
In an effort to capture a snapshot of that transformation in this unprecedented time — through the voices of educators. I chose the McKenzie County Public School District in Watford City to help provide perspective.
We begin with Amy Polivka, president of the Watford City Education Association and high school science teacher. She takes us back to the weekend everything changed.
In our first episode of Education Mindset, Polivka talks about the double whammy in Watford City — the jolt of the coronavirus and the crash of oil prices — and how they’ve both affected students, families and educators forced into distance learning in a matter of days.
On our next episode, we’ll hear from English Learner Coordinator Mari Rasmusson and El Teacher Pamela Albright. How do you break down language and cultural barriers over Zoom? They provide some inspiring answers.