Download or read book The First Days of Virtual School Amid Covid19: written by Rebecca Galvan Rainwater and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Covid19 pandemic is a health crisis, which has interrupted and blindsided the education sector with great force. Covid19 is also a mental crisis which has brought forth emotional unrest and trauma to so many of us. In a matter of weeks, and without warning, everything changed. Educators were forced to quickly adapt, and modify their tried and true instructional methods. Covid19 forever altered the fabric of public education. With massive change came disruption, massive shock, and social crisis to both parents and educators, alike (Burgess & Sieversten, 2020). This handbook has been created in an effort to support this process by looking at ten crucial steps, as we embark on teaching online during COvid19. This handbook brings in the professional input of administrators, educators, and parents. The different lenses represented in this handbook, collectively have brought forth what we believe are the most important implications to consider during this movement to online teaching. On March 16th, 2020, we understood, at least in my part of the world, that schools were going to "temporarily" move to virtual instruction. Educators, parents, and students did not know for how long, we just knew it was happening. While many of us were planning our spring break, our time off, Covid19 arrived like a beast, and ran away with all of our plans. Literally. And so it began. Schools were closed. In many parts of the world, life as we knew it was shut down "until further notice." There was a sense of panic and unrealism. One week turned into one month, which turned into not going back for in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year. Overnight, parents who had their own jobs, also turned into teachers, and teachers started working 24/shifts, responding to frantic emails, making reassuring phone calls for emotional support, and keeping up with the slew of directives from their campus and school district. Many parents and teachers did not have experience with technology. Without a plan, many were multitasking, learning, parenting, working while trying to survive emotionally day by day. It was a surreal time, one we believed in our hearts would last two months. We. Were. Wrong.