密歇根新闻广播 教师每晚发布睡前故事保持与学生联系

 

Thousands of Michigan students have been cut adrift from their school communities as the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered school buildings. Their academic paths suddenly depend on their family’s ability to obtain electronic devices or pay for internet service. But teachers are working to find new ways to stay connected with their students—like virtual bedtime stories.

That's what Voncile Campbell's been doing. She is a elementary school master math teacher in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. She recently started posting nightly videos of herself reading bedtime stories aloud to her school’s Facebook page.

“I was missing the kids, and I wanted to do something that the kids could really relate to and connect to, so I decided¹ I would read a bedtime story and post it on Facebook. And I had no idea that it would just … blow up that way,” Campbell said.

Campbell has been teaching in Detroit for nine years. She said the abrupt² end to the school year left teachers, kids, and families uncertain of what would come next. Campbell has been working to stay in touch with students and their parents via texts, apps, and other digital communication platforms, but she said it's been hard.

“To date, after reaching out on a daily basis … I have only really been in communication with about five out of 32 [students in my homeroom],” Campbell explained.

Campbell said her school’s online instruction program is scheduled to begin next week, but she already has some concerns. Even for students who do have access to electronic devices and reliable internet, switching to an online classroom will be tough.

“I’ve seen a little bit of what the struggle is going to be like already with the Zoom³ meetings that we’ve been holding with … three or four students at a time. You have a lot of background noise, you have siblings⁴ in the background—I mean, there’s just so much stuff going on,” she said.

Campbell said some students she’s spoken with have expressed distress⁵ over the major shift in their daily routines. So, she tries to choose stories for her nightly read-aloud videos that send positive messages to kids about navigating⁶ change, dealing⁷ with difficult emotions, and trying again when things don’t work out the first time.

“All I can do is do my best to reach as many students I can, and support them the best way I can. And just try to stay in touch with parents, and make sure they understand what the teacher’s goal is, and that we need their support because it takes a team,” Campbell said. “The parents and teachers have to work together because we are all a part of the village, and it takes a village to raise and educate a child.”

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

3 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

4 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

5 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

6 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。