St. Louis, MO — August 26, 2020 – When it comes to at-home learning this fall, Nine PBS has the community covered. Its easily accessible, on-air classroom, Teaching in Room 9, will run through the end of 2020.
Nine has been providing at-home learning resources to assist educators and families across the region since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, but early education is central to its public service mission.
Beginning September 14, the Teaching in Room 9 series expands to three hours every weekday afternoon starting at 11:30 am, with the last episode of the day starting at 2:00 pm.
The grade-appropriate lessons are taught by local educators from their homes. Access to the free, on-air Teaching in Room 9 on channel 9.1 ensures that all area kids have access to quality teaching in an authentic classroom-like setting, regardless of access to internet or digital devices.
The exemplary teachers in Teaching in Room 9 have received praise from school districts, parents, and even kids themselves. Art McCoy, PhD, superintendent of schools, Jennings School District, says the Nine team really stepped up. “Nine was instrumental in reaching out to get some of the best and brightest teachers," he says.
Teaching in Room 9 gives an authentic experience that feels like you are interacting with a teacher in your family room, says Maggie Klonsky, former middle school teacher and parent to a 3-year-old and 6-year-old. “My own children, who do not know the teachers, feel like they're interacting with them personally,” she says.
Authenticity and consistency are two key features of the on-air classroom. Dr. Samantha March, Interim Director of Early Childhood Education, Saint Louis Public Schools, says, “Being able to participate in lessons at the same time on the same network daily provides students with the stability that they comfortably had in classrooms.”
Nine’s at-home learning for kids is informed by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and education leaders across the region to assure that parts of the established public-school curriculum are covered as well as social and emotional skills.
A curated suite of online resources for educators and caregivers can be found at ninenet.org/learningtoolkit. The Teaching in Room 9 schedule also can be found on the toolkit web page.
Nine PBS is the region’s largest classroom, with the 24/7 Nine PBS KIDS channel airing and streaming evidence-based educational programs to early learners everywhere, around the clock, and Nine World (channel 9.3) airing educational programs for 6–12th graders weekdays from 11 am–4 pm.
About Nine Network of Public Media
Nine Network of Public Media is a multifaceted organization creating a network of individuals and organizations empowered by public media to strengthen civic life. One of the nation’s most watched public television stations, Nine Network offers the people of the St. Louis region multiple ways to explore the world and become engaged in civic life. Nine’s platforms include four distinct broadcast channels (Nine PBS, Nine World, Nine Create and Nine PBS KIDS®), the Nine Center for Public Engagement, the Public Media Commons, social media, and online. Nine Network’s rich legacy of serving the community was launched in 1954 and continues through our vision of a strong and healthy community working together through public media and our mission of igniting the spirit of possibility.
For more information, contact:
Matt Huelskamp
Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer
(314) 313-6049
mhuelskamp@ketc.org