The first day of distance learning in Barrington was not perfect.

But for Hampden Meadows School teacher Mark Whittaker, that was OK. In fact, the longtime Barrington resident and veteran teacher said there were countless successes throughout the day. Some of the victories may have been small, he said, but they were worth celebrating.

So when classes ended after the first day of distance learning, Mr. Whittaker and other teachers built an online document to record and share the successes with each other.

"It's really cool," Mr. Whittaker said. "There were some frustrations early on, but there were successes too."

On Wednesday morning, March 25, Mr. Whittaker broadcast his lesson live to his students from a makeshift studio in his kitchen. He shared some of his lesson using a whiteboard, and also broke out his guitar.

"I always play my guitar with them," he said.

A slight lag in the transmission time led to a slightly off-key sing-along, but Mr. Whittaker and his students did not dwell on the issue. Instead, he made mental notes about what worked well with distance learning and what might need to be shelved.

His biggest takeaway?

"Simplify," he said.

Mr. Whittaker said he watched a video by a school teacher in China who had been doing distance learning for seven weeks. That teacher, said Mr. Whittaker, was well aware of what worked online, and that there was a heavy focus on keeping things simple.

"I think it's important we stay with what's familiar, and that we stay with what's familiar with the kids," said Mr. Whittaker.

Day One

Like most teachers across the district, Mr. Whittaker was very excited to be reunited with his students.

It had been about a week and a half since Barrington students had been in class, as state officials closed schools to limit the spread of the coronavirus. From March 16 to 20, the schools observed what would have been April vacation week. Distance learning resumed for many districts on Monday, March 23, while Barrington classes started on March 25.

"A lot of us teach because we love kids," said Mr. Whittaker, adding that it was wonderful getting to see all his students again. He also said it was a great opportunity for children to be reunited, if only online.

"To connect emotionally was great," he said.

The students quickly figured out a chat featured offered on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Mr. Whittaker noticed some of the kids typing out fun messages to each other. While he could appreciate the students' desire to communicate with their friends, he also knew that the focus needed to be on teaching and learning.

Mr. Whittaker shared a brief reminder with his students that the chat feature was for classwork only.

"I told them we're going to use it for professional communication," he said.

Some portions of the school day featured live lectures by teachers, while other parts of the lesson directed students to complete an assignment on "No Red Ink" or some other academic app. The students reunited with their teachers for "debriefings" following their assignments.

Mr. Whittaker said he occasionally received texts from his fellow teachers or students' parents or the students themselves about tech challenges they were encountering. He did his best responding to those texts and emails while continuing with his lessons.

Mr. Whittaker said his experiences as a musician helped him navigate some of the computer issues, specifically the audio features on computers. He actually wore a lapel microphone while sharing his lesson, while other educations relied upon their built-in computer microphones. Mr. Whittaker also discovered a setting on Zoom that allowed him to use his cell phone for the audio and his laptop for the video feed.

Online learning

Barrington schools have been prepared for the shift to distance learning for some time.

Barrington was one of the first school districts in the state to go to a 1-to-1 computer device initiative, where the district provides a device to each student in grades 4-12. The district has also built a curriculum for virtual learning.

State education officials announced Monday that distance learning will continue through the end of April and possibly beyond.

Testing and report cards

• State officials announced that RICAS ELA assessments would be postponed.

• The SAT tests scheduled for March 25 are postponed. New dates for SAT and PSAT have not been given yet. n Advanced Placement is considering at-home testing.

• Barrington officials are extending the high school third quarter by seven school days to April 15; report cards will be available on April 20.