Jeanelle Norman: Decatur does home-learning correctly | Columnists
Bravo. Decatur Public Schools 61 is to be commended for the forward thinking in providing e-learning for students while the community experienced a winter storm.
In previous years, students stayed at home while being deprived of instruction. The opportunity for students to be at home and at the same time receive instruction was well-planned by the school district.
At the beginning of the school year, students were provided with iPads that were programmed and ready for a variety of functions. Students of today are usually already prepared on how to use a variety of technologies, including iPads, iPhones, computers, and many other technical devices.
The administrators and teachers developed a well executed plan for e-learning. It was fascinating to watch the teachers interact with the students. The delivery was par excellent although some teachers interacted more with the students than others.
The online classroom climates were well controlled with positive interactions between teachers and students. The Decatur school district with currently over 8,000 students through e-learning sent a powerful message to students and parents that education is important.
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The message was clear that learning is so significant that due to snow storms or any other unforeseeable disasters, educational instruction will be provided if possible. Hats off to the teachers for learning how to use the technology which may have required additional training.
In examining some aspects of what is actually happening in the schools, there is no pause for why it is important for the school district to make available e-learning. During the school year 2020-2021, there were 8,451 students enrolled according to the Illinois State Report Card.
The ethnicity breakdown was 32.9% white, 48% Black, 4.9% hispanic. The remaining 14.2% consisted of Asians, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and two or more races. It is noteworthy to acknowledge that 72% of the students were from low income families.
In the same school year, there were 511 full-time teachers and 100% of them had fewer than 10 absences. On the other hand, 59% of the students had chronic absenteeism.
Achievement gaps existed between various ethnic groups. In mathematics, the achievement gap between white and Black students was minus 10% (white 12% and Black 2%) and in English language arts, the achievement gap was minus 15% (white 20% and Black 5%). Much work needs to be done to close the achievement gaps. The report card does acknowledge that COVID-19 may have had an impact on some of the reported results.
With the presence of some dismal statistics, it is commendable for the school district to provide e-learning. The school district has an awesome team of technicians. However, e-learning can only be totally successful if there is joint cooperation between the home and school.
It is important for the parents to stay abreast of homework assignments. The school district provides Google classroom so that parents can check on students’ missing assignments at certain grade levels. Teachers are easily accessible through emails. Parents do not have to wait until report card time to learn students’ progress.
Students must be taught that they will be held accountable for learning what is being taught. Parents and school personnel must work cooperatively in letting students know what is expected of each student in terms of discipline. Fights between students should not be tolerated in the classrooms or on school grounds.
Overall, District 61 gets a pat on the back and a big thank you for providing e-learning for the students. Using modern technology to provide a learning environment during turbulent weather is innovative and progressive.
What’s behind the protests in Canada?
How did the protests start?
Much of it can be tied to anger against Trudeau, a Liberal Party politician who has been prime minister since 2015 and is loathed by many conservatives, particularly in the western province of Alberta, the most conservative in the country.
In 2019, well before the current protests, demonstrators drove a convoy of hundreds of trucks from western Canada to Ottawa in opposition to the Trudeau government’s new carbon tax, an environmental measure they said would hurt the oil industry. Many wore yellow vests in solidarity with a French protest movement that same year against perceived economic injustice.
This year’s “freedom convoy” began in January with the first vehicles also setting out from the western part of the country and protesters from elsewhere joining in.
What do they want?
Convoy organizers said they were moved to protest by a federal government requirement that truck drivers be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a 14-day quarantine upon re-entry from the United States. However it’s a bilateral measure with the U.S. imposing the same rule on Jan. 22 — meaning that even if Canada ended the restriction, it would make no practical difference.
The demonstrators in Ottawa, Ontario and elsewhere are primarily demanding an end to all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions including mask requirements — though most of those were put in place by provincial governments. Protesters have called, too, for Trudeau’s resignation.
Who’s involved?
The “freedom convoy” was announced in early January by a group called Canada Unity, which was founded by James Bauder, a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theories. Also involved are Tamara Lich, who previously belonged to the far-right Maverick Party, which calls for western Canada to become independent; and a former member of Trudeau’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police security detail.
Few actual commercial trucks are a part of the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday that the last count he had was five of them there, with the rest being personal cars: “Ninety-nine percent of the truckers are working their backs off. … This is about a political statement, that’s what this is about.”
Some far-right figures appear to be trying to capitalizing on the protests and pandemic fatigue to try to revitalize their movements, which represent a small minority of Canadians.
What has the response been?
Trudeau has stood firm against lifting vaccine mandates, calling the protesters a “fringe” who believe in conspiracy theories and wear “tinfoil hats.” That has only incensed them further.
The protests have also been widely condemned by truckers and trucking groups. That includes the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which says the vast majority of drivers are fully vaccinated, in line with the country’s broader population.
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the United States, but Canadians have largely supported them. The country has less hospital capacity, so provinces have been quick to impose lockdowns when infections rise. Canada’s COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.
In the United States, the protests have been cheered and promoted by Fox News personalities and former president Donald Trump, who issued a statement attacking “the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates.” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has called the truckers “heroes” and “patriots,” and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk also tweeted his support.
The Ambassador Bridge
Spanning the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, the suspension bridge accounts for a whopping 25% of all trade between the two countries, with $328 million (417 million Canadian dollars) in goods crossing each day.
The bridge is critical to the food sector in both countries as well as the auto industry; with crossings all but shut down, shortages have forced plants on both sides of the border to go offline or operate at reduced capacity.
On Friday, a judge ordered protesters at the bridge to end the blockade and police warned that people blocking the streets could be subject to arrest and have their vehicles seized.
Premier Ford has declared a state of emergency that would allow penalties of up to a year in jail and fines of about $80,000 (100,00 Canadian dollars) for anyone impeding the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Canadian authorities to resolve the standoff quickly, saying, “It’s hitting paychecks and production lines. That is unacceptable.”
What’s happening in Ottawa?
Thousands of protesters initially descended on the city two weeks ago. Their numbers have declined, but more than 400 trucks remain parked in front of the Parliament Buildings along with a makeshift kitchen.
Demonstrations have largely been peaceful but offensive to many Canadians. Some protesters parked and urinated on the National War Memorial, and Confederate flags and swastikas have been seen. A statue of Terry Fox, a national hero who set off on a fundraising trek across Canada after losing a leg to cancer, was draped with an upside-down Canadian flag and a sign reading, “mandate freedom.” Many protesters carry signs or flags with obscene insults referencing Trudeau.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency last week, saying the protests posed a threat to residents’ safety as many were being harassed. Locals complained about the nonstop honking of horns, but after a court injunction was obtained, that noise has dissipated.
Jeanelle Norman is a 2022 Decatur Hall of Fame inductee.
