Rethinking Back to School | High School Teacher Jon L’Ecuyer on The Contentious Return To Learning

Entering into a new school year is anxiety-inducing as it is. This year, for many parents it feels like teetering on a precipice— each way down lined with more questions than answers. We sit down with Jon L’Ecuyer, a high school Government teacher and dad to a second grade daughter, to discuss the choices that his family is contemplating. We talk navigating hybrid learning models, juggling homeschooling with working from home, getting creative with hands-on assignments, and the myriad other back to school considerations. Also, find out whether Marc’s kids share his preferred method of eating an ice cream cone.
 

Episode 25 dives with reckless abandon into a discussion on the concerns,  contemplation, and contention around the fast-approaching school year. Adam and Marc discuss their own arrangements before welcoming guest Jon L'Ecuyer, a father of one 7-year-old daughter and a freshman Government teacher at a school of 3,300 students in New Hampshire.

Jon candidly shares his his personal opinions regarding the return to school for both younger and older students, as well as his district's plans for a safe return. The conversation touches on topics including:
 

•  The challenges of being a two-teacher family
•  Being forthright with our kids about the dangers of the virus
•  The moment the news came in about remote learning in March 2020
•  Expectations for the remainder of the 2020 school year
•  Expectations for the future of learning
•  Why remote learning is often harder for teachers
•  The importance of socialization for high school students
•  What most classrooms look like now
 

Marc shares a recent unusual exclamation in an installment of Did I Just Say That Out Loud?  before closing out the episode.

We would like to sincerely wish all parents and students a smooth and safe transition back to learning, whatever that may look like.
 

[Episode Transcript]

LINKS:
Caspar Babypants
Red Vault Audio
Spencer Albee

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