At North Tampa Christian Academy, we are all about innovation. When COVID-19 shook up the world as we know it, we embraced the challenge. We got to work setting up the Titan Teacher Network, providing more virtual options to our students. While we worked on this, we noticed some innovations taking place in the outside world, as well. The world around us changed drastically and quickly, and we all adapted accordingly. Here’s how major industries have adapted to change, and we can learn from them:
Education
Earlier this year, we set up the Titan Teacher Network to provide new virtual and in-person learning opportunities for students. We added online live classrooms, on-demand recorded lessons, and online tutoring sessions with our teachers. Due to this flexibility, students have been able to learn from home, from around the world, or right here on campus. As leaders in innovation, we felt it was important to give our students as many options as possible to help them adapt to this new environment.
Childhood Development and Play
Even though many students opt to go virtual, on-campus learning is still an option. With the help of our partners at AdventHealth, we work to keep our campus safe. Temperature checks, face masks, hand washing and sanitizing are all required. Fortunately, we have plenty of room to allow for social distancing. To continue to provide a hands-on learning experience, we allow students to use hands-on learning devices but not to share them. We sanitize all high-touch surfaces throughout the day. We have been there for our students along the way, helping them adjust to the new safety measures.
Dining and Restaurants
While school life has changed, we have noticed the world around us innovating, as well. Restaurants have seen the most notable changes. Where physical menus have always been the norm, QR codes now populate menus on mobile devices. Consumers have embraced online ordering and contactless delivery. At our school, we have made similar changes to our lunch program. Lunch is now included in tuition so students do not have to handle payment, and certified nutritionists from AdventHealth help plan the meals. Similar to online ordering, parents send in lunch orders ahead of time. Just like restaurants, we have set up outside dining for our students, with only four socially distanced students allowed per table. Students wear masks until they sit down to eat, similar to the current setup in a restaurant. While some of these changes may stay in 2020, we expect to see others for years to come.
Staying in Touch with our Community
Another major change has been how we communicate from home. We now utilize video conferencing for school, work and everything in between. Virtual dance parties and birthday parties are becoming commonplace. Telehealth is now the norm, with some doctors requiring it for check ups. The emergence of telehealth has made appointments safer with the added bonus of creating accessibility. Technology once reserved for people from far off distances has now come closer to home.
The “new normal” may seem bizarre, but the technologies we are using now could go on to improve daily life long after the concern about a virus goes away. At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, the faculty, staff, and families work as a team. Our service-oriented approach builds Christian leaders who think deeply, choose wisely, create beauty, and use their dreams to solve problems. Want to learn more about what makes us different? Contact us today.