Principal Says Pandemic Forever Changed Classroom Instruction
鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite a ride.鈥�
That鈥檚 how Heather Castagno describes life as an educator during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A principal at Wendover High School in Wendover, Utah, Heather has worked in education for more than 20 years. She earned her Master of Education in Learning and Technology as well as an educational leadership endorsement from 91吃瓜网. The learning and technology program is specifically geared toward helping teachers develop their technology-integration skills鈥攌nowledge that came in handy when Heather鈥檚 school transitioned to distance learning due to the pandemic.聽
She says that equipping students with laptops well before the pandemic made the shift to digital learning easier.聽
鈥淥ur kids already had laptops, so it was a very smooth transition for us into that,鈥� Heather said.
As some COVID-19 restrictions are easing and more schools are returning to a traditional classroom setting, Heather doesn鈥檛 plan to go that route. In fact, she says the pandemic has forever changed the way her school does classroom instruction.
鈥淲e鈥檙e never going back to paper and pencil assignments. I believe we鈥檝e learned things through this pandemic that aren鈥檛 going to change. We need to advance into the future,鈥� she said.
The pandemic has certainly created new challenges for educators, but Heather says, if you鈥檙e thinking about becoming a teacher, it鈥檚 worth it.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e wanting a challenge, yes, it鈥檚 a challenge. If you鈥檙e wanting something that鈥檚 stable and a high payout as far as reward, go for it,鈥� Heather said.聽
