Like most topics, everyone has an opinion about schools reopening. And, as it should be, teachers have a lot to say. Stefanie Blais, a second-grade teacher at George J. Peters Elementary School, has been an elementary teacher for 13 years
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Like most topics, everyone has an opinion about schools reopening. And, as it should be, teachers have a lot to say.
Stefanie Blais, a second-grade teacher at George J. Peters Elementary School, has been an elementary teacher for 13 years now. She misses the sense of community among her students and colleagues.
“I yearn for the day we can return to some sense of normalcy,” she said. “I am very apprehensive about returning because I won’t be able to be the teacher I want to be. I am extremely nurturing and treat each student as if they were my own. To not be able to console them on the first few days and give them hugs when they feel sad is something that breaks my heart.”
Blais is not sure if returning to school is the right move.
“Unfortunately, I am not able to decide whether or not we should return to school,” she said. “I think virtual learning went well but I am worried about those students that need support like my own daughter and also I am worried about social and emotional well being that virtual learning cannot provide. No matter what the decision is I will be there to support my students and teach them the best way I know how and that’s with care and dedication.”
Park View Middle School sixth-grade teacher Joanne Spaziano, who is starting her 23rd year, also voiced her concerns.
“My concerns are that at this point in time students have not been exposed to hundreds of other students due to the pandemic,” she said. “Once they re-enter school, they will be. Look to Florida daycares to see the evidence. We know that students of all ages can contract and carry the COVID-19 virus.”
Teachers, secretaries, nurses, bus drivers, custodians, teacher aides, cafeteria workers and countless other people who keep a school running will also be exposed to the incoming group of students.
“We know an estimated one-fourth of the adults in a building have health issues that will put them at higher risk when exposed to children who will be carrying in the virus,” Spaziano said. “Also there will be parents of children who have health factors that put them at high risk and will not allow them to return to school.”
Spaziano is also concerned about the costs associated with reopening.
“I know [Superintendent] Jeannine [Nota-Masse] and [Cranston Teachers’ Alliance president] Liz [Larkin] are working from sunrise to sunset and past that to come up with plans to set many scenarios of what could happen and what to do in each case,” she said. “They are considering the needs of all the employees of CPS and our students. I do trust their judgment. Do I think there is enough money to do the job? No. The Senate at the federal level has refused to even look at legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives weeks ago. We know education in this country is always under funded. We will need PPEs, hand wash, cleaning supplies, etc., just to meet guidelines, not to mention plexiglass and other assorted items that we cannot buy with box tops and bake sales. Teachers cannot be expected to buy all the Purell and Kleenex for their classrooms like most do every year in addition to all the supplies. Even $1.5 million is not going to do it. This opening is going to cost money. Plus busing is going to cost more and teaching in person plus doing distance learning for the kids who won’t come is double the work for teachers.”
Spaziano had been out of school for a while before the actual March closing due to her own health issues and had to readjust once she came back.
“Personally, I was sidelined with pneumonia when distance learning was thrust onto teachers,” she said. “When I returned to distance learning I met with my students using the district Google Tools. I made calls to parents, had meetings with parents and students, taught lessons, and gave and graded assignments just like all of my colleagues across the city. It requires a lot of thinking outside of the box. You have to anticipate questions kids will ask about an assignment before they ask them. The vast majority of our students did fine with distance learning. With the help of our special educator our kids worked specifically with her as she modified content, which is what she does best. Some kids really shined. Some kids got their work done early. Some handed it in late. Some needed reminders. Some didn’t do it at all. Those are the ones I had to make phone calls to. Park View was able to teach all students.”
In face-to-face teaching, Spaziano said, it is easier to catch a student and get the work done because they are right in front of you. In distance learning, you need to motivate them and be more creative in your presentation to engage students.
Andrea Dicicco, who is starting her 19th year teaching in Cranston as an English teacher at Cranston High School East, has a unique prospective as both a teacher and mother. She believes in preparing for whatever challenges may come up.
“I believe that the leadership team for Cranston Public Schools will design educational models that will adhere to the CDC guidelines for reopening schools,” she said. “I think it was a smart plan, albeit challenging, to direct school districts the mandate to develop four fluid educational models to help educate all students, depending on the changing COVID-19 data projections. Now that we have utilized distance learning for several months, the school community will be able to modify the instructional schedule as needed, at least at the high school level. I think it’s best to start with some kind of hybrid model to meet teachers, receive instruction, materials, and to learn about expectations and resources, but I think it’s good to take one step at a time. If we rush to school too quickly, especially if COVID data projections spike, like in much of the country, I feel that would be more detrimental to this educational process than taking it slowly. I know a hybrid model is inconvenient for parents, and absurd for teachers to organize, but educationally, I believe students learn best in the classroom.”
To make the necessary accommodations to open in late August (as a hybrid or in-school model), it is her opinion that leadership teams will have to consider all options to make these plans a reality.
As a teacher, she genuinely believe that the best educational model is the one where students attend school and engage and lead in their learning.
“Think back on your high school years. Our fondest memories stem from the social interactions we had with those closest to us,” she said. “I became a teacher because of the impact my teachers had on me. The classroom lessons and discussions provided me with the necessary tools to pursue my happiness, but it also gave me the language and process to think critically about our existence. We all, collectively, want to provide every student with the same opportunities and memories. This year, these ideas will have to be envisioned through multiple educational frameworks. One of these frameworks is opening schools for ‘in-person’ instruction. There are concerns that many of us have about schools reopening too soon.”
Dicicco cited many major concerns about specific situations for teachers, students, faculty and staffs at all school levels.
“Did leadership teams have enough time to research and discuss all options for reopening?” she said. “Are districts provided with sufficient funding to purchase all necessary cleaning supplies for all teachers and custodial staff members? Are some students or staff members in our school community considered high-risk for catching COVID-19? If so, are these individuals provided alternative educational plans/settings?”
Dicicco also struggled with being a mother and doing virtual learning with her own children.
“As a parent of two girls aged 7 and 9, I was concerned about the lack of social and emotional training, especially at their young age,” she said. “It was difficult to juggle their Google Classroom platform because they had never used the system prior to distance learning. I was going crazy working at my computer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while answering emails well past midnight and tried to correct all assignments from my children before allowing them to click the ‘turn it in’ icon. There were many internal questions about my role as a parent, trying to ‘teach’ my children what they were missing.”
She added: “During the first few weeks, I thought I was their teacher. This assumption created unnecessary conflict because I know the importance of students completing assignments on their own, allowing their teacher the opportunity to guide their understanding. There was a battle of wills and power struggles, but as the weeks progressed, and it was evident that school was no longer going to be ‘normal.’”
She had to learn how to separate being the parent from the teacher.
“I began to let go. My children knew the expectations set before them, and I trusted the framework and teachers. My only concern educationally, and my children do not attend CPS, we live in another district, is that my children rarely received feedback on any of their assignments. It was structured more like a pass/fail model. I think teachers have to provide students with timely feedback to see growth and to assess a child's understanding of a concept … Each district is taking the necessary steps to plan for our ‘reopening’ no matter if it is in school or through virtual forums. My husband is hoping that I return to the classroom in August because he said I was consumed with work, always on call, 24-hours a day. He’s right. I think each teacher, and family, will have to develop a balanced schedule for next year. We all need time to work, but we also need time to focus on our well-being and overall health.”
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