♪ [opening music] ♪ Hello, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Welcome to Palmetto Scene .

We are here in Columbia, just outside the headquarters of the South Carolina Department of Education.

As you well know, the Covid-19 pandemic not only wreaked havoc on every aspect of our daily lives, but it also brought swift and dramatic changes to traditional K through 12 education in our state.

Doors to schools were closed, and virtual learning and home learning became the norm.

In tonight's episode, we'll take a look at the year in education starting first with a conversation with state Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman.

Madam Superintendent, it's been well over a year now since we've had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

How would you assess the overall impact on our public education system?

>> Well, first of all, I think overall, it's gone reasonably well.

It was a huge learning curve for all of us, and we were in survival mode those first few months of the end of the school year, from March 'til the end in closing out the '19 year.

But as we started in '20-21 for this new school year, we learned a lot, and we have measured the academic impact.

It is definitely there in our children.

Many have caught up as they have been back in school and we have celebrated their learning, and there's still a lot of work that is going to have to be done over the summer and next year in the school year, and possibly even into the next year to really accelerate, to get children back to where they need to be on those grade levels.

I think a significant impact emotionally, social emotionally, for the families of trauma that many of our students have been through with their families is just as significant as the academic impact, so we can talk through the interview, but there's a lot to be done, and there's lots going on already, and there's plans for a lot to happen in the next few months and year.

>> When you talk about the academic impact though, there are folks who said that this is really been a lost year, that these kids are behind, so are we talking about having to factor in and structure literal remediation to bring our students back?

>>Yes, for some children, and we were very fortunate in South Carolina in our legislative budget that was passed last summer.

There was some foresight there to say to districts, "you need to assess your students within 10 days of them returning in August, whether they were virtually or in person."

We've assessed again in December, and that information has to be shared with the Department of Education, so we've got data from all schools and a very high rate of participation from students.

We have disaggregated that data.

We've analyzed it, sent it back to districts, and it shows us the students who will need mild remediation, moderate, and significant.

That information's been sent to districts, they are already working with students.

They have already used their federal dollars to hire additional tutors working one on one with students, small groups, but there are plans now for extra days this summer, enrichment programs, not just all academic programs, and I think you'll see some districts offering early back to school.

I think you're gonna see a lot of schools looping their teachers.

The children may stay with the teacher they had this year for the full year, or maybe at least 'til Christmas, so there's really valuable use of time rather than getting to know each other.

They already know each other, so that's a strategy that I'm sure we're going to see.

But again, I think we're talking about accelerated learning.

It's not so much learning loss, because some of them did not get the opportunity to ever experience it, so it's more about accelerating and pushing students faster, quicker, and more in-depth for them.

>> This may be a leading question, but does that mean that those students that were disadvantaged to start with, perhaps have suffered a greater disadvantage or impact?

>> I think it depends on... You know, from the beginning we had 15 school districts in August who started full five days a week.

There were many children in the state who did not miss any days of school other than perhaps being quarantined for awhile due to virus spread, but there were 15 of the 79 districts that started as normal as could be, at least they were offering five days.

Family chose that, and as parents saw how well that was working, and there were some school districts who said...

They looked at the assessment data as it was coming through and teacher may test and say "this child really needs to get back to school," so there's been a lot of communication between the school teachers, principals, and families encouraging, if possible, for the students to come back, so I think we do have some students who blossomed virtually.

There's some who really did well, but overall no, and we know that those who were virtual, not able to be with the teacher, particularly if they were students who were struggling before the pandemic virtual was not the best option for them, so yes, there are going to be some students who have more significant loss, but there's some who had a pretty normal year as far as Facetime with teachers, so you can't say a blanket statement that it's been a lost year.

Obviously for some, we've got some significant work to do.

>> I would think that our virtual education program, because we did have virtual education before the pandemic for some select students, I would think that this experiment or this happening has actually edified our sense of the virtual education process.

>> We've learned a lot.

We've learned a lot.

There were districts who were very well prepared, who had already trained their teachers: How do you do it well?

How do you engage students?

How do you check on students?

So they were very well prepared.

We had to do additional professional development with our teachers to help them get better at it, and again there's some students who thrived, so virtual will always be there, and families across South Carolina have for the last several years, had virtual options for free at their fingertips.

We have five virtual charter schools that are open for enrollment, and many districts offer virtual academies, and we have Virtual SC which is a program here at the Department of Education that's been in place for a good while, the fifth largest virtual program in the United States, offered free to all students, all public school students, private and home school students, so we saw a tremendous leap in enrollment in our virtual SC program, mostly high school class work, some middle school, and we're expanding that to be another resource for our schools as we move forward.

<Beryl> We'll have more from Superintendent Spearman a little later on.

Next, however, we'll visit one of the many amazing teachers who went the extra mile for students during the pandemic.

Kathleen Smith is a first grade teacher at Hunt Meadows Elementary School in Anderson School District One.

After the Covid-19 pandemic started, the school district established a virtual learning academy, where Ms. Smith has been able to adapt to all the changes.

At the same time, she's dedicated herself to making virtual learning as close as possible to face to face learning.

>> Last year, when the pandemic started, I clearly remember coming into our building and it was just so quiet and there were no children here, and we had one day for us to get everything ready to prepare for the children virtually.

We really worked as a great team, We put together packets that we thought were really important.

We made sure we have some books for the children, and we made sure they all had everything they needed and I was very impressed as a faculty, how dedicated we were and how quickly we assimilated to this new method.

♪ [gentle music] ♪ The reading coaches established all our routines.

They figured out exactly how we were going to schedule each day.

The pacing guides of how we're going to approach everything, and then we had this amazing team of I. T., they came in and they trained all of us, and so with that support system, I could really just go ahead and rock and roll through the year.

It was incredible experience.

[speaking to class] So we would do that just to get to know each other's names.

I'm already here and I was very impressed because we never did that with you.

What was really important to me at first was making a connection to the children.

I made up songs and little ditties every single month, so like for September and October, it was more about learning our names from each other, like this month you know I was talking about, [singing] ♪ good morning, good morning ♪, and then they would say their own little things.

[singing] ♪ It's great I lost a tooth , ♪ and then there'd be like a little opportunity for them to sing it, and tell us something new that happened to them that night, and you'd be surprised at how that just brings them right into activity and how they want to learn.

I also make sure I follow all the lessons that we normally have in a face to face setting and we have this wonderful program where we do many lessons it's for reading.

[speaking to class] Get your books and I can't wait to see them.

I share, I demonstrate with them in how you approach this reading strategy, or comprehension strategy, and then I literally have them go into their own little individualized rooms, and I kind of pop in, trying to get to as many children as I can.

Then we come out, and I pop them into their own partnerships.

Then what they do is they practice that with each other.

[chanting and clapping] Double, double compound Anything we did, I modeled it for them.

I would show them seriously how it's done, but then I think they learn even better when I'm a goofball, and I'm like, should I be doing this when my friend is reading?

And I'm just like sitting there doing different things.

I really demonstrate and model it for them, and so that's just one model.

Then we use the same model for phonics, for writing, and then boom, they go and they write.

They'll show me.

They're like, sometimes you get stuck on words, and like, you know what?

Get your beautiful creative thoughts down on paper.

We can worry about what it's spelled later and they finally are starting to believe me.

And a similar model again then for math.

♪ [singing to class] ♪ ♪ Zero the hero saves this place ♪ So all the other numbers can stay in their place, yeah.

This is really a wonderful experience to see them do pretty much everything we do in class.

I have to deliver 20 books per child every two weeks.

We want to make sure they have books in hand.

because if they're in school face to face, they're having such access to so many different books in our classrooms.

I am supposed to deliver to three different schools within my school district, and it was a bit daunting.

And I have this incredible friend, who kept asking me every year Do you need any help?

and she comes in every two weeks.

<Kay> - because usually you're here at school.

You know exactly what you need and she was trying to think of everything she's going to need for the whole two weeks.

It was a lot to take on.

<Mrs.

Smith> We sit there trying to figure out Hmm, ok this is more nonfiction this week.

Let's try to find more nonfiction books.

Ooh, wait a minute, we're in the fiction unit.

<Kay> Because the children are our future, and if I help her, it's going to take the stress off of her.

She's gonna be able to help the children more.

>> It was a little bit harder for the families at first.

I was very concerned about them.

<Mrs.

Smith> It was a whole lot for them to learn.

<Anne> From 7:30 in the morning until 2:00 or 2:15 in the afternoon, This is my full time job.

>> They are right there helping them to be ready and prepared to go for it for the school day.

<Anne> And it's not just the parents.

It is grandparents, it is siblings, older siblings.

>> I really don't even know if it really truly can happen without their support.

<Heather> The communication is way better, vastly better in virtual learning.

<Heather> Every time my daughter has a need, it's met, like immediately.

They're learning to read and write and spell, so the biggest reward is just being able to watch that take place.

<Heather> This year has proven that my daughter is going to do great, and it's all because of the wonderful teachers that she's had this year.

That's been very rewarding for both my daughter and me.

>> During this new pandemic, I realize what the true essence I'm going to cry... of it is love, and you know, you love these kids, and um... [voice breaking with emotion] and they're right here on my shoulders, they're right here in my heart, so I would go to the end of the world for them.

When we couldn't see those babies like boom, one day they're not there.

When you get to maybe see them again, and I just need to see them one more time, even if we're giving each other an air hug from across, and I just want them to know I'm still their cheerleader, and for these children, well, they may not have me like right there next to them, reading with them, or really writing with them on a... hearing those beautiful thoughts and showing them how much they're progressing.

I miss that, I miss that, you know, where I can really just say 'yay' you know.

Just be right there with them, but what this pandemic reminded me, Hey, if I don't make that strong relationship with the child, if I don't reach them somehow, then how can learning even take place?

So, you know, they've only been alive six or seven years, and so we need to really look at them as the whole person.

You know, what coping skills can I help them with?

What, you know, did they have enough to eat today?

[voice breaking with emotion] You know, in the end, that's even more important.

<Beryl> During the '20-21 school year, the pandemic became a formidable opponent for high school athletics across the state.

While our neighboring state, North Carolina, canceled all fall sports, the South Carolina High School League worked with school districts to formulate a plan to successfully complete this much appreciated school activity.

<News Anchor> High school sports on pause for many of our local school Districts, and that is wearing on some local coaches and players.

Our Matt Harris explains why they are feeling now at such a disadvantage.

<Matt> Several head coaches in CMS tell me they're frustrated.

They've been told by the State High School Athletic Association, plans on moving forward with their programs all depend on North Carolina moving into Phase 3.

Right now, it isn't clear when that will happen.

<Narrator> All sports faced serious challenges in the 2020-2021 academic year, with many states hitting the pause button on athletic competition, but here in South Carolina, it was game on as the high school league, school districts and coaches came together to create a plan for a safe and successful season.

>> With this pandemic, it has forced us to minimize the number of athletes you can have on the field at one time, or in a facility, say for instance like the weight room, where you can't have a spotter, so we really have to be strategic on how we're going to get the work done.

>> To begin with, this is a challenge, not knowing how many kids we will get, not knowing how the season will go, but as we got closer, and as we got in-depth with it, it became pretty much a lot easier.

Making sure their temperature was correct, making sure that they're washing their hands, making sure they're not sharing water at all.

We, as coaches, pretty much giving them the water at all times, making sure they're washing their hands and just making sure that their temperatures are good so... >> You can even start in the summer.

You know, we didn't have spring practice.

Normally we're used to having spring practice the month of May.

Our summer workouts were completely different.

We never went inside.

We didn't feel like we could adequately clean the weight room with the supplies that we had, so we stayed outside.

We stayed in pods of seven at two different locations, so all summer long I'm in a car just driving.

I didn't work with any kids but more than five minutes, because I'm driving to different locations trying to keep the group small, trying to keep everything, so just from a preparation standpoint.

Then when we started the season, our first scrimmage was canceled.

Our school district didn't feel like we could play anybody on the outside yet, so we lost a scrimmage, not to mention we only had ten practices leading into our first game, but the most important thing is keeping the kids healthy, keeping the coaching staff healthy, and keeping them on the field so they have something to look forward to.

>> The challenges last year were great because of Covid.

First and foremost, practicing with masks on.

That was different, because they're out of breath and you see them getting gassed a whole lot faster than they normally would without their masks, but as a program, we knew that making sure not only the kids are safe, but the staff is safe.

Not only are the kids and the staff safe, but their families are safe as well.

We took temperatures every single day.

We asked them every single practice "Have you been around someone who's had Covid?

Have you been exposed in any way?"

For the safety of our kids, we did 15 minute increments of physical activity, so stunting we would go fifteen minutes, then we would take a break and do something else so that they can kind of recover, because again, we're practicing with masks on and limited air.

So just making sure that we're taking care of them physically, because they had less time to get conditioned for going hard.

♪ [dance music] ♪ >> Covid definitely took us by...

I mean, I'm pretty sure everywhere, by storm, the athletic world for sure, but we figured out a way to still make sure that sports went on, just reiterating to the athletes about social distancing, about keeping their masks on, about monitoring their activities outside of Keenan, so that we could still have sports.

>> Our concerns were one, how can we have athletics when schools weren't in session, and we understood that, and we had a long discussion about that, and two, the safety.

Is it really safe for our student athletes, and how are we going to maintain in the separation, how are we going to maintain that our coaches and everyone's following the procedures and the recommendations by DHEC and the South Carolina High School League, and of course, the recommendations and expectations of Richland District 1, so we kind of walked everybody through this is what we're gonna do.

We screened our athletes, we screened our coaches every day with temperature check and Covid questionnaire, and monitored them every day and documented that, and so we were real happy with how the season went.

We were able to get through the season.

We lowered the number of games that they played.

We went to the smaller schedules, shorter seasons, and that worked out well for us.

I think our biggest success is that our kids have played sports and stayed relatively healthy, and we've had a great showing in the athletic aspect of high school sports.

>> Well, it's great to be here with Mr. Singleton.

He's Commissioner of the South Carolina High School League, and you know, the pandemic is really changing things.

That goes without saying, but athletics, in particular high school athletics, got shaken up.

There were some changes put in place, but we managed.

What was the plan?

You're starting out the 2020-2021 school year.

What was the plan going into that?

The pandemic had been going on for a few months.

Going into this previous school year, what did the plan look like?

>> Well, our healthcare professionals said you just don't go from zero to a hundred.

You have to take the time and ease your way into it, so we were able to roll out sports one or two sports at a time, and ease our way into it.

We were fortunate.

We got into the fall, we were able to have contests, and the last thing we even considered was whether we will have spectators there.

And we found a way that we can even allow spectators to be there, because the major cry was let's just give these kids a chance to play, even if no spectators can be involved.

That was the major cry, and we wanted to make sure we took care of that.

We were able to do both.

We were able to allow spectators to attend.

Although limited in numbers, they were allowed to be in attendance, and I think we give us a great start.

<Beryl> In our next episode, we'll continue our conversation with Superintendent Spearman, and we'll visit some of the unsung heroes of our educational system.

For more stories about our state, and of course, more details on the stories you've just seen, do visit our website at PalmettoScene.org, and of course, don't forget to follow us on social media whether Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

It's at SCETV hash tag Palmetto Scene.

For all of us here at Palmetto Scene, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Goodnight.

Stay strong, and thanks for watching.

♪ [closing music] ♪ ♪