Teaching inside an empty classroom, a look at PSUSD’s first day of school

Wednesday was the first day of the new school year for Palm Springs Unified School District families. The school year began with distance learning from home. 

News Channel 3’s Madison Weil visited Landau Elementary and spoke with Christina, Alaniz, a fifth grade teacher, who explained her plan for virtual learning. 

By 8:30 a.m., her classroom was empty, but her Zoom meeting on her laptop was full of new students.

“Can everybody hear me? I’m gonna share my screen. Can you guys see this?” Alaniz asked her class. 

Nearly all her students were logged on early, excited for the school day. Alaniz walked them through some technical difficulties before beginning instruction. 

The district says most teachers, like Alaniz, have chosen to teach remotely from inside their empty classrooms. 

“I myself just wanted some more structure in my day. Getting up every morning and going to teach at my kitchen table was just too much,” said Alaniz. 

They say about 35% of teachers have decided to teach remotely from home. 

Alaniz says parents can do three things to help their kids with virtual learning. 

1. Sign up for ParentVue by clicking here, the online portal the district uses to communicate and display student progress. 

2. Make sure your student has a quiet, separate learning space to use each day. 

3. Establish a daily routine with your child to help them stay on track.