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Southwood's Kevin Daberkow Adjusts to Virtual Learning
October 28, 2020 -- The top floor of Southwood Elementary School is where you will find Kevin Daberkow’s fifth-grade classroom. Chances are you will hear this math and social studies teacher before you see him. His loud, cheerful voice matches his gregarious personality even when Daberkow is inside a two-inch square box on the left side of a laptop screen.
During today’s math lesson, Daberkow is asking the students to share their favorite math website that helps them with multiplication.“Go to the website, share your screen so we can also see it and then tell us why you like it,” instructs Daberkow.
Because students began this school year completely virtual and will continue through at least early January in that learning model, many of them have never met each other or know about the candy their teacher keeps on his desk. Yet this teacher believes after sharing a screen with his students every day for the last seven weeks, that they have grown closer.
“Hey, use your best Batman voice to get your classmates to listen as you tell us about the website you like,” Daberkow asked another student. “That was a good one, man, even better than the voice you did the other day,” chuckled Daberkow.
Dr. Daberkow, a teacher with CCS for 20 years, knows there is a lot to deal with before returning to the classroom for blended learning. That’s important to him, but so is something else. “Remember double-digit multiplication in two weeks, so keep practicing. That’s important,” Daberkow told his students.
With so much screen time, you would think the last thing he wants to do is log in after his school day at Southwood, but he does. This year, Daberkow began teaching for the CCS Digital Academy, and he also teaches Masters of Education students at Ohio University through their online curriculum program.
Maybe that’s why he has lots of boxes of Dots within arm’s reach.