Worcester Co. students “return” to school with distance learning

WORCESTER CO., Md. – Students in Worcester County started school on Tuesday with a completely virtual learning model.

Educators at Pocomoke High School say they have a pretty flexible model for students in case they have jobs or need to take care of younger siblings. This means students can log on to see their teachers live or watch prerecorded instruction. Educators say one of the challenges with virtual or distnace learning is relationship building and connecting with students. While the hallways were much more empty than normal “first days”, teachers say they’re excited to tackle new challenges head on.

“There’s so many resources out there that so many teachers even including myself in a math classroom were afraid to use just because we are used to our old ways but now this is kind of forcing us to go outside of our comfort zone,” says Michelle Ott, a math teacher at Pocomoke High School.

“I think the school year is going to be what we choose to make it. If we choose to make it positive, if we choose to be resilient, persistent, making sure we make connections, it will be amazing in spite of challenges,” says Jenifer Rayne, the principal at Pocomoke High School.

Officials will continue to assess the virtual learning model and they may decide to move into phase two as early as September 28th, which means they would start bringing students back in small groups. They also say, thanks to county funding, every student now has an Apple device.