20 May Teacher Spotlight: Kristie McVay
Our Northshore Schools Foundation Teacher Spotlight this week Kristie McVay, a 3rd-grade teacher at Fernwood Elementary.
For teachers and students alike, the transition from the classroom to the cloud has been challenging in a number of ways. Mrs. McVay told us:
“Our class developed a very close bond in the classroom, and our class meetings were so powerful with the way that this class supported each other. This group led themselves and I witnessed social growth week after week. It has been pure heartbreak to be away from these kiddos that provide such joy in my life.”
McVay was determined to find a way to bring that close bond to the “cloud” so that her students could continue to grow and thrive together as they had in the classroom. She has been holding two “class meetings” each week where the entire class gathers together in a Zoom meeting to connect and share. She says, “it is truly the highlight of my week, seeing all my students in one place.”
These Zoom sessions also include live lessons for those that can attend, and for those that cannot, it is a recorded lesson that can be watched at another time. Every week, each student has a designated “call-in” day and time, where we just get to talk, and our personal connections can continue. “As these weeks have moved on, I have seen a wave of emotions hit everywhere on the spectrum for my students. Yet, like in the classroom, this time to connect has allowed me to speak into their hearts as best I can from afar,” she says.
Mrs. McVay felt that her students needed more emotional/social support during this time and restructured her time with them to address and meet those needs. Weekly activities include:
“Mood Monday” involves students using emojis to help them reflect how they are doing, and they then write more about something specific I may ask them. This helps me see how they are feeling right away at the beginning of the week, and a point of reference for when I talk with them/connection piece.
“Wonder Wednesday” is tied to a topic in our Second Step curriculum they will reflect on. For example, one week, students watched a short video on Accepting Differences (that is connected to Social Awareness and Relationship Skills- two of the 5 CASEL competencies that the district has incorporated), where an elementary student described his friendship with a family friend with Autism. The video described an amazing friendship between two very different people. Students had to then write a connection, something they learned, or a behavior they would like to engage in around differences. I found myself crying many tears of joy to read the range of empathetic responses that they gave. It felt like a huge success within a tiny assignment.
“Fantastic Friday” is a day of reflection of what students learned new this week, a skill they refined/practiced, and what went well, or was a challenge for them. It’s also a place to ask questions, name things they feel they need help with, etc. Students also can upload photos here of things they did during the week for fun.
Students have emailed Mrs. McVay some amazing photos and videos of things they have created, science experiments they are doing, or even videos of them cooking! She decided it was time for them to share these fun activities with the group if they chose to, so they also have recently been able to learn to use Flipgrid to share these fun ideas. Students also have a choice to read their writing through this platform, which promotes learning amongst them as classmates. She says: “They learn so well from each other. Some of the greatest teaching moments have come from being a part of watching students teach each other.”
Many of Mrs. McVay’s students also receive services from special educators and paraeducators when on campus and now in a remote environment. She says: “I am especially grateful to Mackenzie Rompannen (LC teacher), Janet Tamura (Paraeducator), and Jane Lewis (ELL teacher). These ladies have worked tirelessly to help support what we are doing in the classroom for a group of students in my class and within our grade level.”
We love seeing how our NSD teachers are evaluating the unique needs of their students during this remote learning time and creating methods of teaching/connecting that really address those needs in a way that can help students thrive. We’ve certainly seen a greater need, more than ever before, for social/emotional learning. We appreciate Mrs. McVay and all our NSD teachers who have stepped up to meet these needs in new ways.
If you know of a teacher in our district who is doing creative and innovative education in our new virtual classroom platform that we should know about please email their info to julie@nsdfoundation.org
Northshore Schools Foundation is a local 501(c)3 non-profit serving students and teachers in the Northshore School District, located in the communities of Bothell, Kenmore, and Woodinville. Since 1995, Northshore Schools Foundation donors have funded more than $2 million in grants to benefit the district’s students and teachers. To learn more, visit www.northshoreschoolsfoundation.org.