Monday was the first day that many students were forced to stay away from their schools across San Diego County, and the silence was a strong indicator of that.
Carlsbad High School, usually filled with a loud crowd of students, wasn’t any different. The digital sign out front said campus is closed through April 13.
However, teachers don’t want students thinking this is a vacation.
“I quickly was snapped back to reality by my English teacher when he gave us a sheet,” said Carlsbad senior Maddie Ward. “He was like, ‘I was preparing for this.’”
Some teachers have already assigned schoolwork for their students. Some of that work is timelier than others. Carlsbad High School teacher Doug Green’s students began working on their assignment Monday: A public service announcement for the school district explaining the benefits of social distancing.
“It’s important that students realize this is not a vacation,” said Green, who is in charge of the nationally-renowned CHSTV video journalism program at Carlsbad High School.
The difficulty for their assignment was shooting it while following the rules they were talking about. Students like Ward stood at least six feet apart and repeatedly cleaned electronics that were shared between each other.
The assignment was a way Green intended to keep his students engaged while out of school.
“I am concerned but we have a unique ability in this program to challenge kids even if we’re not face to face with them,” he said.
As for the other classes, no one knows exactly what will happen if the coronavirus forces students to miss school beyond April 13.
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