Here’s my promised long form post about students having the option to come back to school.
Last week was the first time this school year that students had the option to come to in-person school. Different grade levels had different turnouts, but in Grade 2 we had about 75% turnout for onsite learning. Those students were split between the two in-person teachers, and the other 11 students who stayed online were put into my online class. Change is always hard, but here are a few positives I have noticed after a week of online/onsite learning.
A Small Class
I only started the year with 15 students, but it is striking how much smaller a class of 11 feels. I ended up keeping my students who were big talkers (and picking up a couple more big talkers from the other classes), but we had enough time to joke and laugh and listen to stories. I feel like I know my new students really well already. Having fewer students will also reduce my grading time, which will give me a bit more time to plan special online-oriented activities for my students.
Having Students on Campus
I thought that it would be weird to see students on campus, but it was actually totally normal. Which makes sense; a school is supposed to be full of students. I had a couple students from this year’s class and last year’s class that I didn’t recognize right away, but I remembered their names later. It has been such a long time since I had seen them, and they look different with masks on. The campus has so much energy when the students are here, even if they aren’t in my classroom.
Exercise
My classroom is on the second floor, and the water bottle filling station is on the first floor. During all-online school I usually need to make a special trip downstairs to refill my water, but last week I was out and about so much that I was able to refill my water on the way to or from my next task. I stood and even ran a bit during my recess supervisions. I’m feeling more tired now, but I know it will be good for me.
Socialization
The students clearly suffered from a lack of socialization during online school, but I think the teachers did to a degree, too. The Grade 2 Team has held most of our planning meetings for the year virtually because two of us worked from home and were never on campus at the same time. Now, we can have our planning meetings together in-person and talk to each other after school about how the day is going. I know it was more efficient for me to work from home, but I also know that time with my teaching team is well spent.
This short experiment of online/onsite learning is supposed to end at Christmas break. At this point, I’m not sure what school will look like in January and beyond. Still, as long as this season is here I am happy to enjoy its little benefits.
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