CREDIT: Danielle Ray
By Danielle Ray
At a Feb. 23 press conference, education officials and Governor Charlie Baker announced a push for schools across the state to return students to classrooms five days a week. This phased approach will start in April for elementary school students, and by the end of this school year for middle and high school students.
Baker later announced at a March 3 press conference that Massachusetts teachers and other school staff will be eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 starting March 11. This announcement closely followed a decision by CVS to allow this new group to get vaccinated at their pharmacies despite state regulations.
Prior to the push to return to in-person learning, parents across the country have had to work around ever-changing school regulations, including families in the Wachusett Regional School District.
“Ultimately, we all want to see all of our students each day,” said Chocksett Middle School Principal Chris LaBreck. “However, we need to ensure we can do that safely. We will continue to problem solve and think creatively and when it is safe to have all of our students back, we will all welcome that.”
Houghton Elementary School Principal Tony Cipro echoed those sentiments.
“We look forward to having more information on this in the weeks to follow,” Cipro said. “We will continue to comply with all the state requirements imposed upon our schools. We take pride in meeting and exceeding expectations. The viability of some requirements, at times, may be called into question, but at the end of the day we are here to serve children.”
Students have had the option to participate in a hybrid learning model at district schools since Jan. 19, 2021, although some decided to remain fully remote.
“Over 75 % of our children are engaged in the district’s hybrid model,” Cipro said. “Participation inches upward weekly.”
LaBreck said that in a recent parent survey regarding hybrid learning, 67% of parents reported that hybrid learning has either been “excellent” or “better than expected” for their child or children, and only 6% indicated it “was not good.”
“I believe hybrid learning is going well,” LaBreck said. “The technology staff across the district have done remarkable work ensuring we have adequate hardware and improving our infrastructure. This has enabled the teachers to connect with students both in school and at home on a daily basis.”
One thing both principals stress is how hard teachers and support staff at the schools have been working throughout the pandemic, overcoming obstacles and pressing on in support of their students.
“The teachers here at Chocksett have embraced the challenge,” LaBreck said. “Chocksett teachers spent enormous amounts of time planning and preparing for this all fall, and that has led to their success. Additionally, the school experience is never successful unless there is family and community support. The support we have received from parents is greatly appreciated. Our teachers have worked remarkably hard, parents and the community have been supportive, but our students have been truly amazing. Just as our teachers have embraced this challenge, so have our students, which is why hybrid learning has gone well for us so far.”
Cipro said the same goes for teachers and support staff at Houghton, who are pulling double duty along with Chocksett staff in that they are teaching both hybrid and remote students, oftentimes concurrently.
“Teachers are working very hard to ensure both in-person children and remote learners are getting equal time,” he said. “Young children require much attention. Having both an in-person group and an on-screen group interacting with the teacher simultaneously takes patience, skill, and being tech savvy; hats off to the teachers and support staff.”
LaBreck said that at the beginning, the greatest challenge teachers and staff overcame was learning how to teach remotely solely through technology, including familiarizing themselves with various software and streaming programs and figuring out how to best use them to engage students.
“I think lately our greatest challenge is finding creative ways to make our lessons interactive and exciting for students,” he said. “Even though most of our students are in school for a portion of the week, they are still six feet apart and unable to work with peers. This is unusual for us. Under typical conditions, our desks would be grouped and kids would be collaborating constantly throughout the day. We have to find ways to replicate those interactions at a distance and make learning fun, which is a challenge.”
LaBreck added that he feels – and hopes – that the hardest parts of learning to teach in a whole new way during a global pandemic are in the rearview mirror.
“Now that staff are in our schools, I see the biggest challenges being behind us,” he said. “Our educators are dedicated and resilient. They have had to confront professional and personal obstacles for months on end. They have survived and strived for success. They are amazing people.”
COVID-19 protocols in place at both Chocksett and Houghton include mandatory mask wearing at all grade levels and by school staff, increased cleaning and sanitizing at the schools, physical distancing in classrooms, cafeterias, at recess, etc., frequent hand washing, and more. But despite the laundry list of procedures and rules, the students are glad to be back in the classrooms with their teachers – and for kindergarten students, attending elementary school in person for the first time.
“Schools exist for children,” Cipro said. “The children are so happy to be in their school, and they have adjusted to all the health and safety modifications required of schools.”
Teachers and staff are certainly happy to have students in the building again, filling hallways and classrooms with chatter and the familiar hum of a school in action.
“Students are why we do our jobs,” LaBreck said. “When we don’t see them on a daily basis, we miss out on so much. I’m inspired by our students every day and having them in the building has helped me maintain that mind set and focus about why we are here.”
“I’m inspired by our students every day and having them in the building has helped me maintain that mind set and focus about why we are here.”
Chocksett Middle School Principal Chris LaBreck
When asked what he enjoys most about having students in the school building again, Cipro said simply, “everything”.
“My observations – their voices, giggles, albeit through masks, their questions, their interactions with one another, being in their classroom learning environments with teachers,” he said. “These are the social aspects of a child’s education and development that cannot be duplicated on a computer screen.”