Whether hybrid or full remote learning, kindergarten looks a lot different this year. RSU 14 administrators and teachers have worked hard to adapt to a new way of doing things while providing a developmentally appropriate experience for students.
“We’ve all come
together to keep it child-focused and child-centered,” said Laura Record, a
kindergarten teacher at Windham Primary School.
Overall, children are adapting well, school staff said.
“Our kindergarten
learners have done amazing with the start of school and the CDC requirements
for safety,” said Dr. Kyle Rhoads, principal at WPS.
Beth Peavey, the principal
at Raymond Elementary School said, “I’ve been amazed at all of our students,
especially our little, little ones coming in wearing their masks and following
the routines that are new for our school.”
It has not been
easy.
“One of the
hardest things for kindergarten is the distancing, both with each other and for
me with the children,” said Lindsey Pettus, a kindergarten teacher at WPS. It can be especially challenging when
children need help with physical tasks like learning scissor skills, pencil
grips, or opening food items.
She handles this
challenge by talking children through problems as best she can, she said. If a
child is really struggling, teachers follow strict protocols to assist.
“It’s like scrubbing in for surgery to help a kid hold their scissors the right way,” Pettus said.
Throughout the
district, technology hasn’t yet been sent home with kindergarteners in the
hybrid model. On remote days, children
are working on packets that reinforce in-person learning, reading
logs, and/or
are participating in choice activities, depending on the teacher.
Teachers
understand that every family has different circumstances and don’t want remote
work to be overwhelming. “We’re really
working as a team and giving clear and explicit instructions to parents so they
know what their children should be doing and how they should be doing each
assignment,” said Jennifer Smith, a kindergarten teacher at RES.
“Our expectation
for that is do what you can, do what works for your family. We understand that
everyone’s situation is different,” said RES kindergarten teacher Erin
Simoneau.
Teachers across
the district are using an app called SeeSaw to connect with families. When technology is sent home with students,
the app will change what is possible for remote days, such as recording a short
lesson and providing an accompanying activity, Record said.
“We wanted the
families and kids to be familiar so if we did need to go remote, SeeSaw wasn’t
a surprise,” Simoneau said.
One benefit of the
hybrid model, teachers said, is the small class sizes. “I’ve gotten to know the kids pretty quick,
and what their needs are,” Pettus said.
Simoneau said with
smaller groups, they are able to sit on the rug and be safely distanced. “It’s a big deal to move from desks to the
rug, even if it’s just for a story,” she said.
On the flip side,
Pettus said, it’s the end of September and her students have only had six
in-person school days. That means classroom routines may not be as smooth as
expected for this time of year.
Certain elements
of instruction, such as the phonics work that is so important in kindergarten,
is also difficult when students and teachers are masked.
“I tend to put
myself in a corner and then take my mask off when I’m far enough away to show
them,” Simoneau said. Teachers also have masks with clear panels around the
mouth.
“This age tends to
have a lot of speech delays. That’s a big part of kindergarten - addressing
those issues and trying to correct those delays,” RES kindergarten teacher
Stephen Seymour said. Speaking through a
mask can make children even more difficult to understand, he said.
Keeping up with
curriculum when there are only two in-person days and keeping both groups of
students in the same place can also be a challenge, Pettus said. “I’m really
trying to be as consistent as possible between the two days so they’re getting
the same experience at school,” she said.
They have been
able to move quickly through the phonics curriculum, she said, because they’ve
doubled up lessons on days that students are in person. “We’re keeping pace with that which has been
really nice,” she said.
Ensuring an
appropriate learning environment for kindergarten students took collaboration,
creativity and teamwork. One of the
challenges they worked out before students arrived was how to allow children to
play, Record said.
The district has
found ways to follow CDC guidelines but also offer children opportunities that
some other schools in the area aren’t, such as using equipment on the
playground. Students are also able to check books out of the library. At WPS,
kindergarteners choose a personal tub of toys to use for a week.
“It took a lot of
brainstorming and back and forth to make sure we were following all the CDC
guidelines. It’s just so critical for kindergarteners to be able to play and be
hands on and talk while they’re playing,” Record said.
Learning to manage
the required routines, such as waiting for all children to have their food
before taking off masks to eat, helps build valuable skills like patience,
determination and grit, Peavy said.
“I think that it
will transfer over into their academics.
It really is amazing to see the level of patience that they have,” she
said.
Kiely Treschitta
is one of two teachers for kindergartners who are participating in full remote
learning from both RES and WPS.
“Remote learning has been going well for kindergarteners.
Students do well with the consistency of the schedule,” Treschitta said.
Students begin
their day at 8:30 am on Zoom and are logged in until 11:15, though they are not
expected to engage for the entire time and turn their cameras off to work
independently.
Problems with technology, such as students being logged off,
computers freezing, and websites that don’t work, can be a big challenge for
remote learning. Another challenge,
Treschitta said, is that students have a hard time sitting for a long time. “That’s
why we do fifteen-minute live sessions and then they have time to move around
during independent time.”
Treschitta said she’s
been surprised at how quickly students have learned to navigate Zoom and other
apps.
“It’s amazing when
students are able to teach their parents and other adults how to use apps,” she
said. “These students surprise us every day.” <