'A real teaching opportunity': Elementary virtual schools overcome challenges

The three Cs — communication, collaboration and community — have been added to the three Rs — reading, writing and arithmetic — as keywords you’ll hear from many of the educators teaching or overseeing the elementary virtual schools in Kingston. “We’re really trying to mimic what’s happening in our schools,” Dan Finn, Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board’s elementary virtual school principal, said. “One of the challenges we have, and we’re looking at ways to do this, is how do you build community in an online environment, and I think that’s something we’re looking for and our parents are asking for. “Normally, friendships are often built on the recess yard or at lunchtime, during those less formal opportunities where students just get together. That’s something we’re looking for to provide students the opportunities to make friendships and relationships with each other.”