Most of you are back to school, or will be back to school next week. Many of our readers, Facebook followers, Twitter followers and teacher friends have been sharing their experiences from the first days of school. Like all of you, we have been really interested in what this school year would look like.
Despite the apprehension, it seems that for the most part, everyone is rising to the challenge. This is not to negate the very real potential for harm to children or teachers in schools which opened in person, nor to the isolation and struggles of children and families working online. We know that most of you have no choice in your school delivery method this year. We also know that you are exhausted!
Despite all the uncertainty, there are good things happening.
Based on what we have seen and heard, here are the positive take-aways for the first few weeks of school.
Parents are glad school is starting.
Parents seem happy students are back to school, whether virtually or in person. As always, parents filled their Facebook feeds with first day of school pictures. Parents may complain about the delivery method, but everyone is glad for some structure for their kids.
Students are happy to be back in school.
Julie wrote on our Facebook page, “The students are back and are so happy to be at school! They’ve sat down for stories and listened. They haven’t argued over toys. They’ve been eager to play and learn.”
Melissa shared on our Facebook page, “One of my students saw my face pop in to the small group meeting and screamed, “oh my goodness, yay!!! I am so excited to see you again!
Shannon shared, “My scholars are doing so well!! I’m so proud of them! Lots of teamwork! I love it!”
Masks might not be as difficult as we thought.
Students seem to be handling masks better than expected. One Dallas teenager said, “Everyone wears them. We don’t want to, but we don’t want to end up back at home. It sucks and they are annoying, but we’d rather be with our friends with a mask on than at home without one.”
Even the younger students seem to have adapted. One first grade teacher wrote, “I am pleasantly surprised that the kids barely mess with their masks. However, I find myself pulling at my mask a hundred times a day.”
Focus on students’ mental health
We’ve seen many Facebook posts about Maslow before Bloom, referring to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs which says that we need our physical needs met as well as safety, and a sense of belonging before we can learn.
Many schools have posted videos or notes to students welcoming them back to school and expressing how happy they will be to see students this year. We’ve seen countless teacher notes and teacher welcome back videos too. These messages build a sense of connection even before school begins.
We’ve also seen teachers create lessons around getting to know each other, and about self-care. Teachers are trying to make sure students are seen and heard. Teachers truly care about their students, now more than ever. The message to students is that they are loved.
We love this list teachers have been sharing from the Institute of Child Psychology:
- Keep them Safe
- Lower their anxiety about the current situation.
- Make them laugh.
- Make them feel loved.
- Teach them something.
All in that order.
There are surprise bonuses in a new teaching method.
One high school teacher wrote on Twitter, “I just want to acknowledge an awesome part of remote teaching. It’s allowing students to drop in during asynchronous time and ask questions with no one around, and no one knows. These are students that are too embarrassed and would never ask a question if it drew attention.”
An elementary teacher who is teaching in a hybrid model shared, “I am enjoying only having half the students at a time. I feel like I am getting to know them better.”
Teacher Optimism
No matter what they feel about the delivery method, teachers are putting on a brave face for the students. We’ve read many comments about how happy they are to be back and to see students again.
That’s not to say it isn’t different. One teacher, teaching in a hybrid model, said, “With the masks, no playground equipment, and desks 6 feet apart it doesn’t feel like the school they love. We are trying to incorporate other things to still make it fun.”
Another teacher wrote on Twitter, “Yep, we had some glitches and it wasn’t perfect but we came together and delivered powerful learning experiences for our students during this challenging time. We are all in this Together!”
We are happy to see teachers being so optimistic despite all the challenges. There are so many things out of our control. We can, however, control our attitude. At the end of the day, we can be miserable and pessimistic or we can make the best of what we have been handed.
Our best,