As the Covid-19 epidemic continues to develop, MTHS has had to develop a plan that includes the suspension of school until further notice and the creation of an online learning curriculum. Every staff member has had their lives disrupted, but teachers especially so. Here is how a small collection of teachers are reacting and adjusting to our new situation:

Tammy Sweeney and Matthew Jones have been posting optional assignments since the beginning of the shutdown. “Posting optional activities for students during the shutdown has been an exciting challenge – I’ve spent my days exploring new apps I might use and rethinking how I can use old applications in new ways,” said Sweeney, a history teacher, 

 Jones, an art teacher, has been posting daily challenges to Schoology and uploading the results to his Instagram account (@mths.art). 

The separation between students and teachers has been, at the very least, inconvenient.“I teach three different courses and missing this time will obviously not allow me to teach all of the content in the curriculum. I worry most about my Algebra 1A students as their content leads directly to Algebra 1B and these students need the most guidance and practice,” said Amber Biddle, a math teacher.

“I’m worried about my students keeping up with their language learning while away from school. I am hoping that there are a few students out there who are at least switching their Netflix language to French every once in a while to keep things interesting,” said Amanda Brightbill, a French teacher.

 Biddle and Dr. Larry Penner also added their concerns about working during these troubling times. “It’s added uncertainty for sure. I wish I could be working with my students on a regular schedule, but I know others face bigger challenges than I do adapting to in some cases job loss or lost income, or facing real health issues. In the face of those concerns, I can live with a little disruption and uncertainty,” said Dr. Penner, the head of the IB program at Township and an English teacher.

Though their work environment has changed drastically, these and other MTHS teachers are working hard to adapt to their new situation and help prepare students to return next school year.