WKSU
Flags that hang in a hallway at Findley Community Learning Center in Akron represent some students home countries.
The multilingual chatter of parents dropping off their kids at Akron’s Findley Community Learning Center fills the air. Only a few weeks ago, all of Akron Public Schools’ students had been online. The school doors are open once again, but for many immigrant students, the challenges remain.
Keith Freund At Findley Community Learning Center in Akron, a father drops off his children who are excited to be back in school after more than a year of remote instruction.
Findley and neighboring North High School serve the North Hill area of Akron, a vibrant community of immigrants and refugees. Half of Findley and North High’s students are English learners. They come from 22 countries, and many have been hurt by months of remote learning.
Originally published on February 24, 2021 7:04 am
It s a school day at Findley Elementary in Akron, but it s eerily quiet, according to Dean of Students Theresa Essandoh.
“This is our playground, and it’s such a sad sight that there aren’t any kids running around,” she said.
The kids are at home in front of computers.
Classes haven’t been held inside this building since last March when the pandemic first hit. Essandoh says the experience has been surreal.
“It’s very Twilight Zone to have empty classrooms and quiet hallways, empty playgrounds and cafeterias,” she said.
She says going remote radically altered how the classroom setting is used to connect with kids.
What Teachers Have Learned From Pandemic Education wksu.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wksu.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It's a school day at Findley Elementary in Akron, but it's eerily quiet, according to Dean of Students Theresa Essandoh. “This is our playground, and it’s