JACKSON, MI – Hunt Elementary School Principal Mary Jo Raczkowski-Shannon is comfortable in her claim that the beginning of another school year isn’t her “first rodeo.”
But it’s hard to ignore the difference greeting her this year in her 22nd year on the job. The novel cornavirus has definitely shaken things up.
Hunt always starts the year a little earlier than most other Jackson schools because it follows a balanced calendar where breaks are spread out during the year.
But this year, students arrived in masks for their first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 4, saying goodbye to their parents outside, rather than inside the building, or in their classrooms, to prevent the spread of germs.
They walked down one-way hallways where stickers are laid out on the floor to help them practice social distancing while they wait for the bathroom. In their classrooms, their teacher’s desk is protected by a plexiglass shield, while their desks are spaced out as much as possible – cutting class sizes in half.
Recess is divided by grade level. And when students eat lunch now, it’s not in the cafeteria. It’s individually packaged meals brought to their classrooms.
All in all, the first days of school went well, Raczkowski-Shannon said.
“We did not have one crier,” she said of the traditional tears streaming down children’s faces when they’re separated from their parents on the first day of school. “That’s unheard of.”
In other words, different doesn’t necessarily mean bad, Raczkowski-Shannon said.
Students and staff were “phenomenal” in a model that sends them to in-person classes in two different groups – one on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other on Thursdays and Fridays.
Wednesday is dedicated to virtual learning for all students, but Hunt’s teachers are scattered throughout the building, creating videos they’ll send to students to aid in their remote learning. Wednesday is also dedicated to deep cleaning the building to avoid exposure to the virus.
Jackson Public Schools approves hybrid plan that includes in-person classes
This is all a part of the new reality for Hunt’s students, teachers and families in Phase 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s roadmap to reopen schools.
When teachers aren’t working with students in-person, they’re teaching them virtually. They’re required to post 14 video lessons online for students each week across a grade level – five English/language arts, five math, two social studies and two science.
Unlike last spring, when teachers were putting together virtual lessons on the fly, Raczkowski-Shannon said this approach is much more organized.
“We were pretty much maintaining in the spring. Now we’re teaching lessons there will be assessments on,” she said. “It’s a completely different ballgame.”
Having a day to work on material for virtual learning is beneficial for teachers, fifth grade teacher Mike French said.
“We can bounce ideas off each other,” he said. “We’re in the building and we have all the materials that we need to be able to incorporate into the videos we’re creating.”
After starting the day in person on Tuesday with some nerves, students quickly adjusted and warmed up to the idea of being in the same building with each other for the first time since March, French said. He said he only had to tap his own nose gently once as a quick reminder to a student to wear their mask properly.
“I thought the kids were a little apprehensive, but at the same time, excited to be back,” French said. “They really wanted to be here and were kind of bummed they couldn’t come (the next day).”
After some initial concerns about how safe in-person classes might be, parent Toni Crawford said she was heartened by the steps her 11-year-old daughter’s teacher and the school were taking to ensure safety.
“I was terrified, but after speaking with the teacher and seeing how there are only 10 people in the classroom, they’re distanced away from each other and they still wear their masks, I felt more comfortable,” Crawford said Friday while dropping her daughter off. “Today is a good day. I’m feeling a lot better.”
Ultimately, Crawford said she believes she made the right decision to send her daughter back for in-person classes, allowing her to reunite with friends she hasn’t seen in months.
Students exceeded her expectations in how they approached the first day, balancing their excitement to be back in the classroom with the recognition that there are new rules to follow, fifth grade teacher Amy Smith said.
“They were very flexible and cognizant of their surroundings,” she said. “As soon as we took them out of the gym (at the beginning of the day), they were already aware that, ‘I need to give space, I need to do my part.’ We didn’t have to tell them.”
Smith, who manages one of the larger classrooms in the building with 14 students, said she enjoys the new learning format, largely due to the buy-in from students.
“I think the kids are going to have more personalized learning,” she said. “We are more like tutors and they are taking ownership of the learning.”
Kindergarten teacher Christy Edinger said she feels fortunate to be part of the first Jackson school reopening, because she and her fellow teachers can learn the best practices of teaching in a hybrid format more quickly.
“I think the technology aspect of it is going to be challenging,” Edinger said. “I love the platform that we’re going to use, but with the younger kids, that’s going to be a little challenging. Someone is going to have to be right beside them, day after day for a long time in order to help get them used to it.”
READ MORE:
Reopening schools depends on how people behave, Michigan’s Dr. Khaldun says
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