MIDLAND, Texas — Some MISD students will be walking into a very different classroom of sorts on Wednesday.
Their new learning space could be a gym, a church or even a museum.
Each of these places have been getting ready the last 2 to 3 weeks to accommodate these kiddos and their remote learning plan.
"Kids need to be social, they need some help and parents are completely overwhelmed," said Kathy Shannon, executive director of the Petroleum Museum.
"Parents are having to still go to work, but they also need full-time care and we decided to make that decision to have the virtual learning so that it helps everyone in the community," Kylie Roman, YMCA Midland youth director said.
For the YMCA, this means boosting their WiFi to double the connectivity rate and adding 10-15 more computers to their stash, costing an additional $5 - 7,000.
But they're hoping to get this money back in community grants.
They also are in need of more substitutes, teachers, past teachers or volunteers.
Over at the Petroleum Museum, they already had the Education Hall space ready. All they needed was a schedule and a plan.
Their space can only accommodate 20 students, 1st through 6th, but they have the museum, outdoor petroleum models, science experiments and even a furry friend at their disposal.
Students coming to the Petroleum Museum for their virtual learning will also get to meet their mascot, Flynn the wallaby, in between their class assignments.
So lots of learning is ahead and even some fun too.
"We understand that some of the kids have to log on at specific times, so we've taken a classroom and we have made it kind of like a computer lab where kids can go at those specific times and log on with their teacher," Roman said.
They understand each student will need a different amount of virtual learning time, with activities like outside play and gardening mixed into the day.
"Each and every day we're getting more and more registrations, so we're just taking it day by day and if a group gets too full, we'll add another group to help accommodate whoever," Roman said.
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If you'd like to find out more about these virtual learning programs and their pricing, here's their contact information:
- Midland YMCA: (432) 682-2551
- Petroleum Museum: (432) 683-4403
- True Lite Christian Fellowship Church: (432) 687-3077