Like many of us, COVID hit Ivy Nelson, Education Technology Manager at the Belton School District #124, with very little warning. According to Nelson, “We went on a spring break and we never came back. We had been talking about the possibility of closing school for two weeks, which we thought was insane sounding. We would shut down for two whole weeks and kids would be learning online and this is just madness. And so we went into that with that very hopeful mindset of, Hey, this is just for two weeks, let's prepare two weeks of lessons, two weeks of resources.”
How quickly two weeks turned into a year! It seems we all have a story to tell, and the story told by the Belton School District #124 is a particularly interesting one. Rather than squandering the opportunity to remake their education for the better, Nelson and her team evaluated and made significant improvements to the learning and teaching in their district. “So it has proven the thoughts that the Learning Counsel has with, ‘okay, this is the way we've always done teaching, but is it the best way to do it?’ Trying to keep that traditional model and just translate it to online learning didn't really work out. We're looking at, what is the feedback, what is the data telling us and how can we change that so that we do a better job next year? And so that we have teachers that are happier, teachers that are less stressed and then parents and students that are more pleased with the education that they're getting,” said Nelson.
Watch the video and explore both the curriculum and technology sides of the house. And see how Belton plans to maximize their CARES Act grant and COVID Relief funds from the county. It’s must-see.
