WHS succeeding in the face of uncertainty

WALLACE — Educators across the country have been forced to adapt in ways that many of them never thought they would due to COVID-19 forced soft-closure of schools.

All three school districts in the Silver Valley have adopted digital learning in various forms, but perhaps no one is evolving more than the teachers of classes that are regularly more hands-on.

Teachers who lead PE, shop, and family and consumer science classes have had to take a hands-off approach to their classes through virtual learning.

At Wallace Jr./Sr. High School, teachers like Bruce Bailey and Brandon Voorhees have adjusted to the new normal with some pretty positive results.

First year teacher Voorhees runs Wallace’s shop program, a program that has students ranging from grades 7 through 12.

“It’s been quite a change,” Voorhees said. “The adaptation of taking a hands-on class and shifting gears and move it to online, it’s been a battle.”

According to Voorhees, the options are more than a little bit limited when it comes to remote education in the shop world.

Students don’t all have access to the same tools and resources that they would normally have, but Voorhees has managed to make sure that certain projects have remained in the face of uncertainty.

“I can’t send materials home and I can’t send the kids all home with power tools,” Voorhees said. “So what I did was try to create a curriculum for them that still aligned with state standards, but so much of it requires a hands-on approach that we just can’t have right now.”

His more advanced classes are working on a residential construction unit, but without the ability to actually put their knowledge to the test, the class is basically one long instructional video.

“Knowing my students. This is where they want to do their learning,” Voorhees said of his classroom. “They don’t want to be behind a screen at home. But we’re making do with what we have.”

However, his lower level students have still been able to complete some of their more hands-on projects, including fabricating Popsicle stick bridges and turning a chunk of balsa wood into a drag racer.

“We sent the kids home with a drag car kit, a hand saw and some sandpaper. I posted some instructional YouTube videos for them to watch,” Voorhees said. “They’re the lucky ones because they get to actually build something from home. The students were pretty jacked that we’re going to be able to build something from home.”

Physical education might be more important now than it ever has for students at home.

Which makes WHS health and PE teacher Bruce Bailey’s job even more important than it usually is.

Bailey is a fixture in the Wallace School District, but despite the fact that he has been an educator since the ’90s, he has been learning right along with his students.

“I’m learning how to use Google Classroom,” Bailey said with a grin. “I’m not technology savvy, but I’m learning. This really had me out of my comfort zone, but thankfully the kids are patient and some of them even have helped me out.”

Bailey has used the online format as a way to fill the holes left that strictly digital learning has created, including having kids complete worksheets to identify muscle groups, as well as having each student create and submit their own workout plan and then being tasked with following it.

For Bailey, who is a genuinely optimistic person, the utilization of the online classes, while not his favorite method of teaching, is helping the school understand how some of their students tick better than before.

“It’s a great tool to have,” Bailey said of Google Classroom. “But I, like every other teacher, would obviously like to get kids back in the buildings. This has given us some valuable insight about some of our students and how they learn though. We have some kids who are doing better than they were before. Some kids just learn differently.”

WHS Principal Chris Lund is absolutely thrilled with his staff and their dedication to making sure that students are still learning through all of this.

Whether it is making sure that core standards are being maintained or that students are able to still engage in some of their electives despite being away from their classrooms, Lund believes his staff are knocking the remote learning out of the park.

“I’m just so proud of my team here. They have really stepped up during this time,” Lund said. “What we’re trying to do isn’t easy and they are doing an outstanding job adjusting while still meeting my expectations. It’s learning for everyone here and the staff is doing a terrific job.”

Lund followed that up with a shout out to his students, who have really taken advantage of the digital learning situation for the better.

“Participation has fluctuated a bit as expected, but we have had about 90% of our student population log on and view assignments,” Lund said. “What really surprises me isn’t that the work is being completed, but the quality of that work has really increased which is awesome to see.”

Lund believes that the best way for him, his staff and the students at WHS to navigate this situation is by staying positive together, and it seems as though everyone is doing their part.