Page 8 - Our Little Roses FMS 2020 Annual Report

Shifting Gears -

Educating in a Pandemic

In March 2020, the Honduran government locked down the country and all of a sudden, Holy Family
Bilingual School students needed to pivot from face-to-face to virtual learning.

Prior to the pandemic, HFBS students had not used digital devices either in class or for homework. All
work had been done in notebooks or in the Schilling Computer Lab. When we went to a virtual
platform, HFBS prioritized communication with families. Director Carlos Duarte says, “We decided
that the most important focus would be our relationship with the families. We made a deliberate
choice to connect with each student on an academic and social/emotional level.”

In the beginning of the new virtual learning paradigm, it was not uncommon that all of the siblings in
one household used the same cell phone for class instruction. The only way to turn in homework was
to take a picture of an assignment and send that image to the teacher. Multiplying this process by
each child and the number of classes with homework became an arduous way of doing business.

At Our Little Roses we had 40 girls who needed to connect to their classes! Our staff lent the girls
their personal phones so they could work in little clusters around the home tuning into various Zoom
lessons. We were able to finish the school year this way, but this was clearly unsustainable.

Over the summer, we had an opportunity to plan more strategically for the 2020-2021 school year.
We increased the capacity of our internet to meet the demands of online access and subscribed to
several online learning platforms. Since September, each girl has been attending class using her own
computer and headset due to donated equipment.

We are so proud of all of our girls and teachers who have persevered this year and are grateful to
those who continue to support our educational programs through donations and encouragement.

Duarte continues, “If I could say what
sets HFBS apart during the pandemic,
it is that we always keep in mind the
many factors affecting the ability of
families to educate their children. As
an institution we understand that
outside influences, like the availability
of electricity and internet services on
any given day, the hardware
available in each household, etc.
determine access and success for
students. We need to be
understanding and flexible because
every family’s situation is different.”
pg. 8