Zoom Time?
In the early 1970s (and revived again in the early 2000s) there was a TV show called "Zoom". The idea of the show was to have kids turn off the TV and do something active. Somewhat ironic that today the word Zoom is all about increasing screen time. Here at Hamilton, distance learning is still new to us. Teachers and staff members are working really hard to ensure that we provide all students with the access necessary to achieve at minimum a full year's worth of growth in each class. Our schedule is rigorous and designed to achieve this growth target. That said, we are all still learning how to support our students' needs in the best way possible, needs that extend beyond purely academic pursuits. Three weeks into the new school year we recognize that there is Zoom fatigue in many of our students, and as such are working to make some adjustments to our programming. First, we are working collaboratively to try to make our Wednesday asynchronous days more manageable for our students with streamlined learning activities that should not take the entire day for the average student. In addition, teachers are working together to identify ways to incorporate opportunities for shorter and/or fewer Zoom meetings along with opportunities to work offline, or at least outside of a Zoom setting. This type of arrangement can work for some classes, but not all, but please know that we are working to bring back a bit of the original intent of Zoom--the TV show that is!
