Olympic-Sized Learning

Photo Courtesy Classroom Champions

Picture this: You log in to your live lesson. Instead of your usual teacher, you see that your teacher is Erin Hamlin, four-time Olympic medalist and the flag bearer for Team USA at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony!

This is exactly what some of our Mega News Network student-journalists experienced on Thursday, February 22 when they participated in an online chat with Olympic athletes live from South Korea! What a great way to celebrate Digital Learning Day!

This event was hosted by Classroom Champions, a non-profit organization that pairs Olympic athletes with schools to help mentor students. During the live chat we met both Erin Hamlin, a four-time Olympian and luger, and Elana Myers-Taylor, a three-time Olympian and bobsledder. The chat was hosted by Sugar Todd, a long track speed skater Olympian who represented the U.S. in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Even Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer dropped in the chat to give students a challenge and see which class could cheer “USA” the loudest!

It was impressive to see these athletes taking time from their grueling Olympic schedule to spend time with kids and share positive messages with them. The chat focused on setting goals and Elana had this to say: “I look at goal setting [just like] dream building… Setting dreams and setting goals that are based off what I ideally want to accomplish if there were no limitations, if there was nothing in my way, I go after it with full force.”

Both Erin and Elana spoke on how the honor of representing our country in the Winter Olympic games is not only a point of pride, but a chance to see people come together as one to root for our team. Elana also pointed that participating in a sport such as bobsledding which can be quite dangerous, also means facing her fears every day. Indeed, a great message for our students to face challenges head on every day. Be it that dreaded DBA or a segment exam, think of it like a bobsledding track. Keep on going straight, fast, and confident on what you know and keep your eye on the prize!

Want to see the complete story? Watch the Olympic Edition of our news show Video on Demand page at: www.tinyurl.com/MNNVOD.