DALLAS — If COVID-19 had never happened, about 240,000 kids in Dallas and Fort Worth would be in their third week of the fall semester.
Campuses would not have been eerily quiet for six months.
And teacher Eric Hale would not be planning to wear medical scrubs on the first day of school.
“I’m usually really big on what I’m going to wear to work on my first day of school. Like my tie and my socks are special. I really, really like to look sharp for the kids,” Hale said.
“But this year, I’m going to buy some colorful scrubs and I’m going to be ‘DJ Good Doctor’ until we get back in front of the kids. Then, I’ll go back to my ties and hats.”
Hale teaches a combined class of first and second grade at Dallas ISD’s Burnet Elementary School and has accumulated a number of awards because of the way he connects with students. He plays music and DJ’s in his classroom.
He is DISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year and Region 10’s Teacher of the Year.
He agreed to let WFAA follow him through the upcoming school year.
The first day for 154,000 students in DISD and 86,000 in Fort Worth ISD is Tuesday -- three weeks behind schedule.
The semester is starting 100% online, meaning Hale has to virtually connect with his kids.
He and student teacher Jordan Dontos found a creative way to do it -- they developed a personalized app for his students and their parents.
It features an animated, dancing Mr. Hale.
“He’s not the greatest of dancers. He likes to boogie though. Just like I like to boogie," Hale said.
Dontos designed the app.
“Anything we can send to them to give them same feeling that we’re here with you and you’re here with us. We may be separated by the internet, but we’re all one classroom,” Dontos said.
Tiffany Rogers, president of Forth Worth ISD’s council of PTAs, said technology is likely one of the biggest concerns for families.
“We always knew with in-person we line up and find our teacher. Now we’re all a little nervous about how will we log in? Will it connect? Will we be in the right place?” she said.
Rogers’ daughter is going into the fifth grade.
She’s “reluctantly” been going to bed earlier and getting up earlier, Rogers said.
“We’re still going to go outside and take a back-to-school picture and wear our school spirit shirt so that it will be somewhat normal,” she said. “We’ve set up a little area for her where she can do her work so that it feels more routine and like it’s just getting back to school.”
Rogers’s school is offering various scheduling options for families, but she plans to have her daughter follow as close to a regular school schedule as possible.
Hale said his students will spend a lot of time with him on video conference.
“I’ll be giving direct instruction and guided instruction. They will still have recess and still go to lunch. They’ll take some time away from me and do their independent work by themselves,” he said. “And I’m still going to have breakout rooms, so I’ll still be able to do small group instruction.”
Rogers and Hale both believe online learning during the fall semester will be much better organized than it was last spring, because everyone has had time to prepare.
“Teachers are resilient. We will find a way to educate these children in DISD at the highest levels. I promise you that,” Hale said.
“We’ll continue to lead from the front and be excellent. It’s just going to take a lot more flexibility, and it’s going to take a lot more grace from all the stakeholders in the community.”