Just about every school has struggled with adjusting to distance learning. Even those that had used digital platforms during inclement weather or had occasional group meetings in cyberspace weren’t completely prepared for months of at-home schooling. One Gwinnett County Public School program was tailored exactly for that.
The Gwinnett Online Campus is a full time online option for students. Some take a class or two remotely but others gain almost all instruction digitally. With more than a decade of experience, the institution lent expertise to other Gwinnett schools to smooth the transition.
“We haven’t missed a beat,” said Principal Christopher Ray. “We’ll finish the semester strong.”
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Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that schools would no longer provide face-to-face instruction sent many school systems scrambling to make sure they had the proper technology, bandwidth and teaching tools for online learning.
“We got plenty of calls from colleagues looking for tips,” said Ray.
To make it easier, staff prepared an online “Best Practices and Resources” page, conducted digital Q&A sessions, and Ray even hosted several “coffee chats” with teachers and administrators.
“We worked with the central office to share our knowledge,” he said. “But we’re just one piece of a huge puzzle to make this work.”
He added that Gwinnett has several specialized schools: Paul Duke STEM, Maxwell School of Technology, the new McClure Health Science High School and Seckinger High School that is under construction to host artificial intelligence instruction.
“The school district is so diverse and so full of different types of expertise that we all win,” he said.
Although GOC usually holds a graduation for its small class at the school, it will conduct virtual ceremonies just like everyone else. The 97 seniors came by the school on Thursday to pick up caps and gowns. They were greeted by upbeat music, balloons, signs with encouraging messages and their mascot, Dr. Whooo, an owl wise enough to practice social distancing and wear a mask to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
Maddie Glaser was one of the students who stopped by.
“It was kind of tough seeing the school and the faculty and not being able to interact with them,” she said. “Even though most of what we do is online, we used to come in about once a week for meetings and other things.”
She said the stress and frustration some other students are feeling right now makes her that more appreciative for the GOC staff.
“I have a whole new respect for school and teaching,” she said.
Even though her mother is a teacher, she never realized how much caring and support good teachers give their students. Glaser will be attending Birmingham Southern University in the fall and she already knows that she wants to be a teacher.
“I had a lot of trouble with anxiety in a regular school so we tried GOC and I loved it right away,” she said. “I learned how to focus and put together a strategy that works for me.”
Her brother attends Coleman Middle and had a rough start adjusting to nonstop digital learning days.
“I gave him some tips and now he’s doing well,” said Glaser. “He’s even considering applying to GOC in the fall.”
Khamilah Nixon, another graduating senior, agreed that GOC helped her mature quickly and assess her strengths and weaknesses.
She’s been a student there since fourth grade and found the government order to shelter in place no big deal.
“Of course, I miss seeing friends and getting out of the house, but I think GOC students were better prepared for this than a lot of other students.”
Nixon is enrolled in Georgia Gwinnett College where she’ll major in computer software development.
“One thing I’ve learned to value from online school is to make the most of social connections,” she said. “I know this quarantine won’t last forever and when we come out of it we should cherish the people we’re close to and make the most of the time with them.”
Her grandparents are practicing social distancing so the family will celebrate her graduation with a virtual party.
“We’ll try to come together in July,” she added.
Ray said the studiousness and capability shown by Nixon and Glaser is typical of GOC students. And the decade of involvement with distance learning has prepared his school and his students for what the “new normal” may be.
“We’re seeing a lot more people interested in GOC,” he said. “And we’ll continue to prepare students for whatever the world is like when they graduate.”
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