Chelsea Diederich
Moorhead Area Public Schools Communications Specialist

Nadine Moon, Moorhead Area Public Schools social worker, knocks on the door of a young girl who hasn’t been checking in online with her teacher recently. She is there to see how she can help, while remaining socially distanced. It pulls at her heart when the younger sister runs out to give her a hug and the mom quickly pulls her back to keep everyone safe.
Moon brings the student’s Chromebook back to the Spud technology team and the issue is quickly resolved. When she drops off the materials to the young student, the girl is beaming with joy because she now has access to learning again. What turned out to be a simple fix, means the world to this family.
“What makes us unique as social workers is that we always try to meet families where they are,” Moon says.
This is just one example of how social workers and counselors are working to stay available to students when they need them the most.
Keith Hartleben, Moorhead High School counselor said the department pivoted quickly to be available to students in distance learning. “What we do and how much we are doing isn’t any different, but how we accomplish it is different,” Hartleben says. “Week to week student needs are shifting. Where kids were at during the start of distance learning is different from where they are at currently. We are here to support them every step of the way,” he says.
Embracing Change
Through darkness, there will always be light. Although distance learning has been difficult on students, families and staff, there have also been learning opportunities to propel change.
For example, many colleges are moving to a “testing-optional” or more holistic admissions process. Hartleben sees this as a positive change for many students. “I work with a lot of English learners that get amazing grades, work extremely hard, but they struggle to get a good score on the ACT or SAT,” he says. “Testing is inherently biased, even though they try hard to remove it. I work with Seniors in tears, who have worked so hard and are doing everything right, but they can’t get a decent score on their test.”
Another positive impact has been an exponential increase in parents attending virtual special education meetings according to Moon. This change has given the team ideas on how they might implement virtual options going into fall. She also appreciated the opportunity to lead a personal hygiene drive for families in need, making sure they were still being reached during distance learning. Items were donated by Moorhead community members, local businesses and Moorhead High School Alumni.
For both Hartleben and Moon, distance learning has shown a spectrum of responses from students. “I have students that previously said they didn’t enjoy coming to school, now saying they just wish they were in school,” Hartleben says. While some students are thriving in the new learning environment, others are having a harder time adjusting.
Our goal is to be there for students and families to help them successfully reach the last day of school. Whether that’s offering an online counseling session, helping fill out paperwork for graduating seniors or stopping by homes to check-in, the work of our school counselors and social workers is an important and stable connection for our students during the disruption of distance learning.