On Wednesday, March 18, LMSD implemented the Flexible Instruction Days(FIDs), so students could continue their education online while quarantined during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Banner spoke with Harriton principal Mr. Weinstein to see how he was digesting this two-week school shutdown and the new remote learning system.

“This is absolutely the most unique time in all my years in education. I feel that you see the best in people during challenging times, and I have already seen a lot of evidence of people’s kindness in their offering of support to those in the community. I believe we are a part of a strong school community and we will support each other as we work through the challenges that lie ahead.” Weinstein expressed that he understands how difficult this change is for students and teachers, but he hopes that everyone will be as understanding and flexible as possible in the weeks to come.

Remote learning is new to everyone, which means challenges are likely to arise. However, teachers are as prepared as they can be to help everyone during this difficult and unprecedented journey. What we can expect to see from remote learning is teachers sending out lessons either through live video calls or through blackboard. Each teacher and their subject has been assigned office hours, two-hour blocks of time. For example, math will be on A and C days from 8:00-10:00 AM.

Over the past few days, the teachers have been flexible and diligent in transforming their lesson plans. “We created a site that houses many virtual resources. We asked teachers to familiarize themselves with the many technology resources that can support remote learning,” says Weinstein.

Although Harriton is accommodating in this difficult time, there is an abundance of struggles around the world while attempting to switch to a cyber classroom. According to the New York Times, China is not as lucky as LMSD has been in the switch.

Reporter Raymond Zhong reported, “students in some places have hiked for hours and braved the cold to listen to online classes on mountaintops, the only places they can get a decent cell signal.”

Currently, staff and students are working on a week-to-week basis, as no one knows what the future holds in terms of COVID-19. For now, what we do know is that students should keep up with their online work, communicate with teachers and continue taking care of their health by practicing social distancing.