FORT SMITH, Ark. — Fort Smith high school students who haven’t spent much if any time in the classroom this year were given the opportunity to come to school Monday (Dec. 7) if they are failing.
“Even my students who do really well at school even struggle working at home because I think it’s just different,” Northside High School Principal Keri Rathbun said.
On Track Day was an opportunity for Northside and Southside blended learning students who are at risk of failing, to come to their schools to get caught up on makeup work and get the help they need. Principal Rathbun thinks keeping kids on a schedule when working at home is very helpful.
“As educators, we are getting better each day at putting lessons on there for the students. So, I think it has been a lot easier and better than the spring because our teachers worked really really hard to provide those learning opportunities virtually for our students,” she said.
Fort Smith Schools say 79% of students who were eligible to participate in On Track Day showed up at their schools to get help today.
The Southside High School Principal, Lisa Miller, says students with failing grades this year isn’t just a Fort Smith or Arkansas problem, it’s nationwide. Blended students have the option to work from home or school and Miller says they’ve found this hasn’t been as successful as they’d hoped.
“There is just no substitute for the relationship with the teacher in the classroom and so having our kids back on campus, working with teachers, developing those relationships, that really is the key to being successful,” she said.
Northside geometry teacher Marshal Hurst says it was great to connect face-to-face with students he hasn’t seen much this semester. He says today was about reassuring his students that they can do the work and improve their grades.
“I’ve seen some sighs of relief as we’ve talked about this, as what are the important standards you need to be successful for not only the remainder of the year but what do you need for the remainder of your remaining years,” he said.
On Monday, Tuesday and Friday of next week, Fort Smith High Schools are inviting blended students back to the classroom who are failing or who just want to raise their grades. The district says no new content will be taught those days.