The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1479458
B-8 School Tuesday, September 20, 2022 South Gibson Star-Times Understanding Queen Eliza- beth II's historic funeral is a full-time job, one I have selflessly de- voted myself to undertaking. Editors, please accept my res- ignation for the other stuff. Someone has to sort through the cognitive disso- nance. Why does the queen's coffin linger on television so long after her death, rolling past cursed chyrons that read MYPILLOW CEO MIKE LINDELL SERVED WITH SUBPOENA AT HARDEE'S? I am not here to disrespect Her Majesty, who was dedicated to her nation. Like many heterosexual, white women, I've been a casual roy - als watcher since Prince William ap- peared on the cover of YM magazine in 1998 as "PRINCE OF OUR HEARTS." I'm also not here to dismiss the colo- nizing, musty, problematic nature of the monarchy. We in the States know all about colonizing, musty problems. Nay, I am merely here for what we in journalism call an "explainer," or alter- nately, an excuse to use bullet points: — The queen died in Scotland on Sept. 8, setting in motion Operation Unicorn, a supporting plan to Oper- ation London Bridge. This prepared- ness makes sense to me. The plans involved the Church of England, the Metropolitan Police Service, the Brit- ish Armed Forces, the media and many others. I have six Google docs just to visit Universal Studios in Orlan- do. — Charles became king under Op- eration Spring Tide. Again, I will not comment. I will strain-smile into my lap and struggle to make meaningful eye contact. A council of important people said, yeah, he's king. Charles proclaimed that, yeah, I'm king, then signed a paper that, yeah, I'm king. "How nice for Charles," I said before sliding on my Princess Diana com - memorative ring from Michaels arts and crafts. — The queen's coffin moved to Balmoral Castle on Sept. 9. Two days later, it moved to the Palace of Holy - roodhouse, which I can't believe is a real place. From there, it went to St. Giles' Ca- thedral in Edin- burgh, then Buck- ingham Palace in London. — The Daily Mail reported that the "roy- al beekeeper informed the Queen's bees that the Queen has died and King Charles is their new boss." Privately, several senior royals won- dered why the monarchy isn't taken more seriously. — People Magazine hammered breaking news alerts that the embat- tled Will, Kate, Harry and Meghan took a walk together in a show of soli- darity. Yes, this funeral involves actual archers and a crown crusted in an un- speakable wealth of diamonds, but no. This. This, to me, was the most wildly royal moment. The simple act of walk- ing while issuing icy sidelong glares. — The Royal Parks asked mourners to stop leaving Paddington bears and marmalade sandwiches at memorials. The jamwiches do seem like an ant trap, but banning Paddington is he- retical at best. — News coverage has been exhaus- tive. Wall-to-wall. Harry Styles-lev- el overexposed. Just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, CNN aired a story ti- tled "Leaking Pen Frustrates King Charles: 'This Bloody Thing.''" In a very real segment, a leaking pen frus- trated King Charles. — A ceremonial procession brought the coffin to Westminster Hall, where the queen lies in state. This reminds me of when Hal from Moss Feaster Funeral Home sticks a light on top of a Plymouth Sundance and all us Cath - olics cruise past the Ace Hardware. In this case, Hal is the King's Troop Roy- al Horse Artillery and is (SET ITAL) (murmurs) (END ITAL) probably not Catholic. — We got a glimpse of Princess Anne, who is an offensive 16th in line for the throne. Can you believe this? In 2011 — which the court would re - mind you is not very long ago — the monarchy decided women could final- ly be equal to their nasty brothers. But not Anne, one of the busiest royals, because she was born in the old days. Paddington would like a word with the manager. — Speaking of brothers, alleged sexual predator and Epstein cohort Prince Andrew got permission to wear his military uniform at the last vigil, but Harry did not, when all Har - ry wants to do is podcast with Megs in Cali. — Well-wishers have been lining up to pay respects in "The Queue," temporarily shut down Friday when it reached five miles. Sources say Brit - ish people really like to stand in line. Many were somber, separating quea- sy feelings for the monarchy from their love of the woman. The New York Times spotted gin and tonic in line, which I think the queen would cosign? She notoriously cherished gin, buoying data for those of us who also cherish gin and aspire to be 96. — Monday marks her OFFICIAL official funeral, at which point People is going to make my inbox a shambles. The queen will then go to her final resting place, St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. She will join her husband Prince Philip, her sister and her parents. Television news will, as a concept, pass out from dehydration. Some of us will go back to searching through old bins for that magazine with William. — I would like my other job back now. Please? Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Fol - low her at @stephhayes on Twitter or @stephrhayes on Instagram. So Called Millennial Life By Stephanie Hayes The Queen's funeral Youth First Today By Kelsey Weber Virtual learning and the pandemic's effect on educational achievement Holy Cross Catholic School Second grade celebrating Mary's birthday in our church prayer garden. Ellie Block, Jenna Heldt, Nina Hoke, and Heidi Kissel use math clues to find missing numbers in their subtraction equations. Ava Fischer, Emerson Robicheaux, and Ruth Mann color a picture of Saint Helena. Leigha Anders, Sawyer Anderson, Blakelee Obert, and Quinn Menke work together on a science exper- iment. Raylynn Straw, Emma Fischer, Kora Barrett, and Annie Obert use glitter to model how pollen is trans- ferred by bees. The 2022-2023 school year is in session and many teach- ers are witnessing the effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on learning. With students re- turning to in-person learning, teachers are noticing a large learning gap. According to the Horace Mann Educators Corpora- tion, teachers are reporting significant learning loss for many students, both academ- ically, socially, and emotion- ally. Data from the CDC also shows virtual learning pres- ents more risks than in-per- son learning related to parent and child mental and emo- tional health. Teachers have estimated their students are behind by more than three months. A separate study by McK- insey & Company found similar results that revealed virtual learning was a poor substitute for in-person learn- ing. Some teachers reported the overall effectiveness of virtual learning only slightly better than skipping school completely. Educators in schools with higher percentages of low-in- come families found that vir- tual learning was ineffective and students struggled more. This is particularly true among black and Hispanic students, as well as students with disabilities. One of the biggest obsta- cles teachers faced when they returned to teaching in-per- son was the gap between high-performing students and those who struggle aca- demically. So, where do we go from here? As teachers, here's what can we do to help our students succeed: 1.) Listen to your students' concerns. It is essential as educators to demonstrate un- derstanding as well as empa- thy. Offer one-on-one conver- sations with your students to show you care, want to listen, and help. 2.) Check in with your stu- dents often. Some may need more time to complete a task or to understand an assign- ment. When working in the classroom, provide students with opportunities to take breaks, move around, and talk with their peers. 3.) Watch for changes in be- haviors. If you notice chang- es, check in with that student and seek additional support from your school counselor or social worker. For exam- ple, if a student is coming to class each day crying, have a conversation about why they are upset. Providing extra support and watching for these signs can help bridge the gap. 4.) Offer after-school sup- port for students. Offering an after-school program or meeting time can be bene- ficial for students who are falling behind. This will allow one-on-one time with your student and time to ask ques- tions, catch up on work, and work at their own pace. 5.) Stay connected with your students and families. If you notice a student is struggling, reach out to the student and their family. More than likely, if they are showing signs of stress at school they are show - ing signs at home as well. 6.) Take care of yourself. Working in education has its own challenges, but more so post-pandemic. Be sure to know your limits, maintain healthy eating and sleeping habits, rest, exercise, connect with friends and family, and seek support when you need it. Kelsey Weber, LCSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at McGary Middle School in Van- derburgh County.