This week, we’re going back—that is, getting ready—for school. And while there’s still a lot to figure out about exactly how the looks, the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through Brooklyn, USA.

“Learning Pods”
by Shirin Barghi
[00:39]

Back in July, New York governor Chris Cuomo announced that schools in New York can reopen if the city’s infection rate drops below 5 percent. Today, the infection rate is well below 1 percent, but plans to reopen schools are still up in the air. This week, we’re exploring the challenges related to schooling in NYC in the midst of a global pandemic. We talk to experts and learn equity-driven principles to help guide parents through seemingly impossible choices.

“Blended Learning”
by Emily Boghossian 
[17:37]

This week, we're back in the language corner to talk about "blended learning.”

“Going Back To School”
by Khyriel Palmer
[19:31]

Prior to sitting down and having this conversation with his younger siblings and mother, our producer Khyriel Palmer kinda thought of the whole covid- school situation as a get-out-of-jail free card for kids but in the midst of these conversations, he started realizing how much this is really going to affect them and their futures. In this episode, we talk about everything from the academic drawbacks where even in a world so centered around technology,  kids still feel like they are disengaged from learning virtually to the positives of bullied kids being given the opportunity to learn without scrutiny. These conversations illuminated the two sides of a coin in which COVID means socially distancing from outsiders, but often close quarters for families. With the home now functioning as a school and office, the return of in-person schooling offers a reprieve for those willing to take the risk of sending their vulnerable into a pandemic. This brings us to a candid conversation between his family, one of the many who are facing the challenges of this upcoming semester. 

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“Griffin’s World” was produced by Emily Boghossian, Taylor Cook, and Lauren Germain. Brooklyn USA’s “Messages From Over Here” are produced by Voltron.

If you have something to say and want us to share it, all you have to do is...

1. Call (917) 719-0021 to reach our Voicemail Box
2. Tell us your name, neighborhood, email (we’ll edit this out – just want to know how to reach you!)
3. Tell us any and all of the things that you need or want to say.

• It can be a story, a joke, a secret, or a fact.
• It can be something that you overheard from six feet away, or have been thinking about, worrying about, or a thing that made you smile.
• It can be a way that you're coping with, processing, and navigating this moment, and what you’re hoping that the next one holds.
• It can be a movie recommendation, a book you love, a self care tip or breathing technique that you’re finding very useful...
• or anything else that you want to share with the world!

 
And if you’d rather just record yourself and send it in, just...

1. Open up your phone’s Voice Memos / Voice Recorder app and hit RECORD.
2.  Follow Steps 2 & 3 (from before).
3. Email the audio file to brooklynusapodcast@gmail.com.

 
We’re here when you need us, and we can’t wait to hear from you.
 
See you on the other side, in Brooklyn, USA.

Brooklyn, USA is produced by Sachar Mathias, Emily Boghossian, Shirin Barghi, Khyriel Palmer, Mayumi Sato, and Charlie Hoxie.

For more information on this and all BRIC Radio podcasts, visit www.bricartsmedia.org/radio.