BDN, WABI highlight student teachers staying connected with youth

The Bangor Daily News interviewed University of Maine student teachers Kaylee Grindle and Olivia Murphy, both seniors, about employing innovative remote learning techniques to educate and stay virtually connected with youth. Grindle logs onto a Facebook group created for parents of her first-grade students at Dedham School to check in with children and film herself reading aloud. “We’ve been … encouraging the students to add pictures and videos of them doing the [learning] packets and any other educational things they’ve been doing at this time,” she said. “I start off with a morning message encouraging them and telling them we’re here for them.” Murphy helped her mentor teacher at Asa Adams Elementary School in Orono set up Google Classroom for their third-grade class. She found a form online with emojis that students can select to let her know how they’re feeling. Students use the form to tell her about their pets, what they had for breakfast and activities. Grindle also told WABI (Channel 5) that her main goal “is to help them [students] and be there for them, support them, and do all we can to make this fun and normal as it can be…We miss them so much and we would give anything to be with them.”