As we all know, this school year has had to be held in a hybrid model due to the coronavirus. However, as vaccines begin to be distributed throughout the country, and specifically Massachusetts, the Needham Public Schools have begun to make some significant changes.
On February 3rd, Needham Public Schools superintendent Dr. Gutekanst announced that all students kindergarten through second grade will be returning to full in-person learning beginning March 8th. This means that both cohorts will be learning at the same time, in the same classroom, and in person for the remainder of the school year. During the meeting Dr. Gutekanst held, he explained that there will be many precautions taken to ensure the safety and health of the faculty and students. The class sizes will be limited to 17 students to ensure proper social distancing. Because of this, some students will be moved and a new class will be formed to allow for the correct coronavirus precautions. Masks will continue to be worn, and hand washing as well as social distancing will continue to be required.
Online learning, for younger students especially, can be very tough. A parent to a second grade student reports, “Our now second grader really struggled with online learning. She already has a short temper but she is getting super frustrated with online learning and she will have a major explosion with threats to break the computer or hurt herself. It was really scary last year. In fact, it was so bad last year that we ended up not having her do any work. Even this year, we couldn't make her do certain assignments for as long as she was supposed to because she would go into a fit of rage. Both of us have had many times where she was sitting next to us while we had meetings.” When asked if the transition is exciting, most second grade parents agreed that remote learning for children so young has been challenging and are more than happy that the kids will be going back to in person instruction. “I think both academically and socially it will be better for them [ to return to in person]. They don’t learn as well at home, and there is definitely not as much focus,” notes Emily, a parent to two second grade students. The transition back to in person instruction for the K-2 students will be an adjustment both socially and academically. After being apart from their peers and friends for so long, the students have definitely been affected socially. Their ability to engage with others for long periods of time has been hurt, as well as their ability to learn social cues, something that can only be learned in person. Other than that, the students will have to readjust to spending whole days in a school setting surrounded by peers and teachers, rather than being in their home with their parents all day. “I think it will actually be quite tiring for the kids to shift back to full time - they are currently used to being home so much that when they return to school they will need to build up stamina to remain engaged for an extended period of time,” comments Carrie, a first grade parent. Other than the emotional and academic aspects of the transition back, there is the risk of Coronavirus to think about. Some parents expressed that they had no worries about the students contracting or spreading the virus. However, a few parents shared some concerns. Jen, a second grade parent shared, “I just hope we can keep it going without any outbreaks.”
An anonymous elementary school teacher remarks, “I am most looking forward to all of us being back together as a whole group. We will all have less screen time and that is a positive change for all of us. Our classroom community will no longer have to be built and nurtured over a screen, but now in person! Additionally, I am able to support students in the moment, rather than after school each day when I check their school work.” Teachers have had to adjust for this transition to be possible. Not only have some teachers had to receive new students and part from others, but they have also had to halt their teaching in order to adapt to the in person instruction. “We will be spending the first few weeks focusing on building a classroom community and ensuring we are meeting all students' social emotional needs. Change is difficult for most people, so ensuring all students feel comfortable and supported during this transition is our goal. We also plan to slow down the academic curriculum in the next few weeks so we have enough time to focus on our social emotional curriculum, “explains the elementary school teacher. When asked about the impact of the social and emotional aspect of returning back to full in person teaching one teacher said, “I believe the first few days will be difficult for some students, especially those students that will be switching classrooms. However, kids are resilient and will quickly adjust once they see how welcoming each classroom is. Some students have struggled during home weeks/days and I think we will all see a positive shift in students' emotional well being.”
This change is a step forward in returning all students in NPS back to in-person learning. As of March 5th, the superintendent has announced that all students in K-5 will return to fully in person instruction beginning April 5th including 4.5 days a week of learning in the building. This is a very exciting time and there is hope that we will be able to return to some form of normalcy soon.