Will I be able to start kindergarten in August? How much screen time should my kids have? Will kids be able to adjust when they go back to school?
Those questions from kids and parents all came up during the ABCs of COVID-19: A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Parents.
Sundai Riggins, an elementary school principal in Washington, DC, and a graduate of Penn GSE’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, was there to help CNN’s Sanjay Gupta answer them.
Are you a Penn GSE alum making a difference during the pandemic? If so, tell us your story.
But first, Riggins talked about what she and her teachers have learned since they began teaching remotely.
“Quite a few of our students who maybe aren’t as talkative in class or maybe don’t express themselves as much, actually express themselves much more when they are responding during distance learning time,” Riggins said.
“We find kids are calling us on the weekend or after hours to work on assignments, or to sometimes just talk or connect. This time is teaching us a lot about the importance of being connected and how much kids really miss being at school.”
Angelina, a 4-year-old from Las Vegas, wanted to know if she would be able to start kindergarten in August.
“I am not sure if you’ll start kindergarten in August or September or a different month of the year,” Riggins said. “But I can tell you when you start kindergarten it will be awesome. You’ll learn so many new things. You’ll meet friends. Your teachers will be really, really nice, and they’ll help you learn and grow.”
Penn GSE alums like Dr. Riggins are educators and leaders around the country and the world, pitching in to help communities respond and cope with the pandemic. Are you an alum making a difference? Share your story or connect us with your peers: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/alumni.
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