The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 has affected us all. From healthcare organizations to small businesses to governmental services, no sector has escaped unscathed.
One of the areas affected most dramatically has been education. In early March, most public and private school systems closed down, bringing an abrupt halt to student academic progress.
Many schools attempted to bridge the learning gap through the rapid deployment of web-based remote instruction. However, the e-learning results have been mixed for several reasons, including inadequate training, difficulties in monitoring student progress and a lack of computers and broadband internet access in many student homes.
Even during normal, non-pandemic years, there is a normal regression in learning for many students, the so-called “summer slide.” The summer slide, or summer learning loss, is a decline in reading ability and math skills that affects many students during the summer break when school isn’t in session. It is a normal phenomenon that most teachers address through summer reading assignments, special projects and subject review at the start of the new school term. Furthermore, many students attack the learning gap by taking remedial courses at private educational and tutoring centers.
However, the protracted downtime caused by coronavirus has brought about an unprecedented decline in cognitive skills and knowledge, particular in mathematics.
“During extended breaks from school, most students tend to lose more comprehension in math than in other subjects,” says Heather Henke, co-owner of Mathnasium, a mathematics tutoring and learning center located in Hendersonville. “Due to the extraordinary length of the Covid-19 shutdown, students may lose up to a full year of math learning, which will adversely affect their future schooling.”
Like most businesses, Mathnasium has faced serious challenges in trying to operate and meet the needs of its students during the pandemic quarantine.
“We lost about one fourth of our students when the pandemic first began,” recalls Heather. “As a result, we immediately shut down our in-center instruction until we could figure out a way to safely bring students back on site.”
Thanks to some quick planning by Heather and her husband and business partner, Chad, coupled with support from their corporate development team, Mathnasium has been able to continue to help its students learn.
“We very quickly moved all our students to Mathnasium@Home, an online version of our normal Mathnasium learning system, “says Heather. “Fortunately, corporate had been developing this platform for the past two years. We had already been selected as one of the of the pilot locations, and we had already begun training our staff for remote learning.”
Although faced with continuing uncertainty over the pandemic, Mathnasium’s strategy has worked well over the past several months. With the easing of quarantine restrictions in June, Mathnasium was able to reopen its doors for a limited amount of on-site instruction.
“While planning to reopen our center, we reviewed part of our operation,” says Heather. “We implemented several new mandatory protocols, including handwashing, limited material handling, social distancing of student seating, special cleaning procedures and requiring all employees and students to wear masks. We even installed plastic barriers between students and instructors to provide additional protection.”
While the operational changes have been sudden and extensive, both the Mathnasium team and their student base have responded enthusiastically.
“Our employees and our students adapted quickly to the new normal of masks and social distancing,” says Heather. “They have provided great feedback and communication throughout the entire process.”
Although in-center instruction has resumed, Mathnasium will continue to incorporate remote learning as part of its normal business operations.
“We will continue Mathnasium@Home moving forward, due to the convenience it offers families,” says Heather. “For instance, families can go on summer vacations, and their children can continue their math instruction without interruption, regardless of their location.”
Although Heather encourages parents to consider enrolling their children in learning centers such as Mathnasium, she has some sage advice for parents who are finding themselves suddenly having to home school their children.
“In order to avoid turning education into drudgery, parents need to strive to make learning interactive and fun,” says Heather. “It should be an integrated part of every activity throughout this summer. Cooking, crafting and traveling are all great ways to interject math learning into everyday living.”
Mathnasium
300 Indian Lake Blvd., Suite 240D,
Hendersonville, TN 37075
615.991.6811