Principal Perspective: West Side Early Childhood Center's and John Cline Elementary's Rick Varney

Posted: Tue, Apr 28, 2020 11:38 AM

Principal Rick Varney is used to traveling and racking up lots of miles between West Side Early Childhood Center and John Cline Elementary as he leads his staff at both locations. But now he and his teams are on a whole new journey with the new online continuous learning program. In Varney's words, "We are forging a new trail in education."

This new journey is unlike any that Varney has been on before, but there are some things that are reflective of the past, like meetings. Varney comments, "I'm used to having a lot of meetings, but now they are all via Zoom and a larger share of those are now at the state, regional and local levels. I think I've been busier this April than in the past."

Many of these meetings are to keep up-to-date on all of the new guidance in the education world and happen on a regular basis. While the guidelines might be continuously changing, the goal for Varney and his staff remains the same. "Our primary focus has not changed. We are here to educate students to the best of our abilities, but the way in which we do that looks different now," he says.

Their goal is being accomplished with the help of a comprehensive website that allows parents and students to access voluntary grade level lesson plans. Many of these lesson plans include prerecorded lessons, read-aloud books, and materials that can be accessed and completed at any time that is convenient for families.

Even though PK through 8th grade activities are voluntary, Varney reports, "We are getting strong participation from our students replying with comments and sending work to their classroom teacher. Our parents have also shared positive feedback about the lesson plans giving them structure and daily routines for academics and activities."

Teachers at both West Side and John Cline are putting their energy into making this a positive experience for the students, not only in terms of academic opportunities but also for the social and emotional health of their students and families. "My staff and I are reaching out to parents and checking in, asking questions about how their families are doing and checking to see whether or not they have any questions about the technology or resources the school has provided," Varney says.

Varney credits the combined efforts of staff, families, and students for the success so far of the online learning. He emphasizes, "Words cannot say how incredible our teachers, staff, instructional coaches, and technicians have been during this time. They quickly determined the most essential learning objectives that students would normally have been taught. They then worked with coaches and technicians to create parent friendly digital templates to house grade level weekly lesson plans."

He continues, "We also have to give credit to our students and families. They are communicating with our staff and then ensuring that learning opportunities are taking place at home as they are adapting to a new learning format."

When asked what he misses most about not being in his two schools, Varney replies, "People! I miss seeing our students. I miss the day-to-day interactions with our students, staff, and families in our schools."