2020 News Stories
Alumna adapts to rapid changes in education while teaching in Italy during COVID-19 pandemic
by Jessenia Rivera
Malina Pakulak knew becoming an educator would require flexibility. Yet, when the
global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic struck Italy, forcing the country into on March 9, Pakulak wasn’t sure what the teaching profession would look like in the
coming weeks.
“It happened like the flip of a switch,” Pakulak said.
Having graduated from USF in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, Pakulak began her first teaching job as a kindergarten teacher at Aviano Elementary, a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school in Italy where her husband, who serves in the military, is stationed.
On February 26, the day after Pakulak’s school shut its doors until further notice, a meeting with the school’s teachers was arranged to discuss one essential question—how were they going to continue to provide the best education for students, given the current situation?
As Pakulak listened in on conversations and contributed her own ideas, she remembered
the experience and skills she acquired while a student at USF.
When reflecting on her teaching internships, Pakulak recalls working alongside educators
to turn Sessums Elementary, her designated school at the time, into a suitable shelter
for families during Hurricane Irma. She also thought back on the action research she
conducted in various classrooms across the school district and how it all prepared
her for situations of crisis like the current pandemic.
“I feel like learning about the importance of inquiry in the classroom helped me a
lot in this situation,” Pakulak said. “It instilled in me the need to adapt so I can
better suit the needs of students.”
After leaving her school campus that day, Pakulak worked quickly to construct a digital
plan that was just as much engaging as it had to be educational. Converting her hands-on
lesson plans into something that students could do through a computer proved to be
a major hurdle, but Pakulak says with time, she was able to creatively adjust how
students can learn at home.
In one example, she shared how students were able to turn in their assignments after
she had introduced a science lesson about force and motion.
“I had the kids use their couch cushions and a cookie sheet to build a ramp and they
would roll down their books,” Pakulak said. “So, we were able to adapt things that
we do in the classroom with classroom materials to things that they can do at home
with their families using household items.”
Along with changing lesson plans to fit the needs of her classroom, Pakulak also created
a set system in which she and her students can have face-to-face interactions. On
Tuesdays and Thursdays, after chatting daily with her kindergarten team, Pakulak holds
a video conference through Google Meet with a few students at once in order to maintain
a strong connection amid the lockdown.
Throughout the video chats, she has not only integrated instructional activities,
such as virtual read-alouds and math counting practice, but she’s also made it a time
where she and her students can freely communicate with each other.
“They’re excited to see me, but I’m excited to see them,” Pakulak expressed. “I think
social interaction is what’s helping them get through all of this. I think it’s really
important for everybody on all sides.”
With Italy as by the coronavirus outbreak, Pakulak has had more time to familiarize herself with
online teaching compared to most educators in the United States. She has used platforms
such as Facebook to detail how she is navigating her teaching journey, which led Randi
Latzke, PhD, an instructor in USF’s Elementary Education Program, to invite her as
a guest speaker for current students who are completing their last semester of
internships before graduation and who were eager to hear Pakulak’s advice.
When asked how the interns can be of help to their collaborating teachers during this
overwhelming shift, Pakulak said there are ways they can take initiative without being
intrusive.
“I suggested that they could possibly ask their CT (this question): are you okay with
me recording a video of me reading this book and sending it to our families? That
way it’s not saying, ‘hey, what should I be doing?’” Pakulak said.
Despite the negative news she often receives about the current situation, Pakulak
said she chose to embrace the positive aspects that this crisis has brought forth,
such as an increased unity among her school’s community.
In the last few weeks, she’s seen how a huge disruption to student learning has driven
collaboration and support between educators at her school, and this in turn has shown
her how capable she is as a teacher of taking on any challenge.
“Even though I never once would’ve thought this would happen, I’ve been able to adapt
and overcome,” Pakulak said. “I never once felt like I couldn’t do it.”