ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Additional COVID-19 cases have forced schools to make big changes, creating an unusual school year for students across the Sunshine State. 

Now, two months after the first day of in-person learning in Orange County Public Schools, some teachers are finding ways to make this unusual school year work well for all their students, both in the classroom and at home. 

What You Need To Know

  • Orange instructors are teaching online and in person at the same time

  • The change forces them to consider new ways to teach, some say

  • Some kindergartners recently entered a classroom for the first time

  • Incorporating technology helps young students learn easily

“I have not had a school year like this before,” Kristin Mitchell, a fourth-grade teacher at Catalina Elementary School, said.

Inside Ms. Mitchell’s fourth-grade class, students are getting a lesson in force and energy, both from the classroom and at home. 

“Friends on the near pod, did we write this down? Thumbs up so Ms. Mitchell can see,” Mitchell asked her LaunchEd students. 

“I try to make it the same for my students online and my students here in the classroom, so they feel part of the family,” Mitchell said. 

Teaching both LaunchEd and in-person, Mitchell’s class has become a model for others by making the year feel like any other for students, even if it looks different. 

“We’re making it the best we can, as safe as we can, for all the kids,” Catalina Elementary kindergarten teacher Carolyn Rehmet said.

Down the hall, Ms. Rehmet’s kindergarteners focus as they learn about informational books. 

Every student in the class started school at home through LaunchEd. Last week, some of those kindergarten students came into class for their first day inside a school classroom. 

This offbeat routine, Rehmet said, is an opportunity. 

“We can get into ruts, really big ruts. And being a teacher of 24 years, this year has allowed myself to challenge myself and bring in more elements of technology,” Rehmet said. 

Cameras, laptops, and devices allow the 5-year-olds to learn easily and follow along, ensuring no one falls behind. 

Even in the bumpiest of school years, these teachers are still paving new paths forward for students to learn. 

“And I’m sure there’ll be more bumps along the way; things will happen. We just need to be positive about it,” Rehmet said.  “This is one [year] that goes down in the history books.”