Oregon officials recently announced new school reopening guidelines that would allow in-person instruction for about 20% of Oregon students. But some schools in rural and less-populated areas have already been open for months. Austyn McNew, a teacher at Fort Vannoy Elementary School in Grants Pass, has been teaching his 17 second graders in person since September. First-grade teacher Rachel Sorenson of Parkside Elementary School in Grants Pass has also been teaching her 15 students, but in a “hybrid” model with both in-person and remote instruction. We talk with McNew and Sorenson about what returning to the classroom is like as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
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