School could not be more different from what we are used to at the moment. As my daughter-in-law said to me the other day, it is a bit like being in an episode of ‘Stranger Things’, the popular Netflix series. While we do seem to be in a different universe, school continues on. Teachers are running classes with great skill and care for the girls, and in turn, our wonderful students are engaging like they have never done before.

The coronavirus pandemic has presented unique challenges to all schools. While this has been demanding on all members of the St Catherine’s School community it has also provided great opportunity for us as well. The wonders of modern technology have enabled our school to continue operations with minimal disruption. All of our girls are busy and attending school every day. We have adjusted the timetable slightly as you will have noticed including the ‘class free’ time on Wednesday afternoons. This is a time that our senior girls take over and organise a range of activities. The other week it was a scavenger hunt and this week it was the bake-off challenge! I have a suspicion our country boarders may well have had an advantage if they have mums and grandmas who excel in show baking.

We are in the excellent position in that over the last few years the school has invested heavily in developing online platforms that support delivery and administration of the teaching and learning program. A significant aspect of this development has been the ongoing training of teachers in using technology to enhance and support learning. So, when it became obvious we would have to run a Learn@Home program, we moved into gear very quickly.

There has been much in the media indicating that online learning is disadvantaging the learning of our young people. This may well be the case for the most vulnerable in our society but, this has been an issue well before the pandemic struck. From our perspective the teachers and the students are not just managing with the ‘new normal’, they are thriving. Of course, we would all love to be back at Heyington Place but in the meantime, we have embraced what we have. Our weekly surveys indicate the girls are enjoying learning online and are highly engaged in their lessons. Teachers, for their part, have become very creative and continue to deliver the full academic program. We have great confidence the girls will emerge the other side of this experience with increased resilience and motivation.

John Hattie the renowned education researcher and academic, provides evidence that absence from the physical school does not have to mean a decline in student learning. He recalls the effects of the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011, which severely disrupted access to schools. Hattie explains;

“There was a rush to online learning with a cry for special dispensations for upper high school examinations. As advisor to the Qualifications Authority that oversaw these exams, I argued we should not give special dispensation. I based this on strike research, which showed no effects at this upper school level, with positive effects in some cases. Sure enough, the performance of Christchurch students went up, and as schools resumed, the scores settled back down. Why? Because teachers tailored learning more to what students could NOT do, whereas often school is about what teachers think students need, even if students can already do the tasks.”

We are noticing that our teachers are commenting that the Learn@Home process enables greater differentiation in the classroom and are able to attend to individual girls’ needs very effectively. We have always prided ourselves on being a caring school which caters to the individual but we are seeing this being enhanced at the moment. It has gone to another level.

Last week you may have seen a letter published in The Age from me. I wrote this piece because of my increasing annoyance at the negative stories about online learning and that students were suffering. At St Catherine’s this is absolutely not my observation. We are thriving as a school. Our teachers are committed and as passionate as ever, quality classes are being taught and the girls are rising to the occasion with diligence and enthusiasm. For your interest I have included the published letter below.

Education: Teachers just getting on with the (new) job

“As a teacher I have never witnessed such a profound impact on schools as has been the case recently. To be part of and observe the upheaval to the daily life of teaching and learning and the routines of school has been profound. To see the commitment of my colleagues in making sure they do everything possible to provide the best learning experiences for their students is humbling. It is therefore somewhat distressing to see the upsetting war of words between our state and federal politicians as they debate when students should go back to school. Teachers have little time for such nonsense.

When it was clear the coronavirus was going to be a major event, we went to work. Teachers in my school, and every other school I know, started the process of preparing for closure and teaching online. Professional learning went into overdrive, courses were adjusted, assessments modified and endless planning meetings took place. Much of this happening outside of school hours. Our school started online teaching in the last weeks of first term. At the same time, we stayed open for families who were essential workers.

While it is certainly challenging operating in this environment there has been unexpected joy in what has taken place. Kindness from teachers, students and parents is everywhere to see. Our students have shown maturity, independence and a spirit of can do. Our VCE students have led the way by just putting their heads down and getting on with the job. All of the students right down to the little ones are engaged in online learning.

 It is hard work for all of us. We have staff juggling the demands of teaching and having their own children at home as well as teachers who have elderly parents living with them. We have teachers grappling with the need to adjust their teaching methods to suit the online space and yet they turn up to teach every lesson always giving their best to provide a quality education. Whether we open up our school in a couple of weeks, at the end of term or sometime next term isn’t important, we will keep teaching regardless.”