This post is part of an ongoing series sharing the positive stories that have come out of the challenges our schools are facing. To see all of the posts in this series, click here.
In a short amount of time, COVID-19 has changed the way we live. The term social distancing is a new norm—and families around the world are forced to adapt to new routines. While the lives of many have changed significantly, one thing that has remained consistent is the drive of school leaders and teachers to continue serving their students the best way they can. Despite the problems many Americans are facing, there are many examples that show how educators are going the extra mile.
Charter School Makes Face Shields for Medical Center
Summit Charter Intermediate Academy and Jim Maple Academy in California are putting their 3-D printers to good use. They are creating face shields to help healthcare professionals fight COVID-19. Their goal is to make 100 face shields to deliver to a local medical center.
Charter School Students Write Letters to the Elderly
Service-learning students at Palm West Charter School in Florida provided comfort to residents in a nearby nursing home. They sent 35 handwritten letters featuring words of encouragement to uplift residents. Their heartfelt messages were well received. The nursing home team said residents loved the letters and they meant a great deal.
Charter School Student Tutors Online
Teachers are not the only ones leading lessons online. A junior at Democracy Prep Harlem High School in New York shares math tips on TikTok. The 4.0 student uploads videos explaining algebra, geometry, and chemistry. He has more than one hundred sixty-five thousand followers. Students all over the globe are singing his praises—complementing how well he teaches online. In addition to empowering students to help others, Democracy Prep distributed over four thousand devices to students in the network and made sure each of them had internet access.
If you have an uplifting story to share about educators going the extra mile, please send it to me at brittnee@publiccharters.org.
Brittnee Exum is the manager of communications and marketing at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
