Families, educators adapt to new way of learning during pandemic
Back in March, school districts across the region announced they would be closing temporarily to limit the spread of COVID-19.
"It would be our hope to have schools closed for a two-week period only,” East Lyme Superintendent Jeffrey Newton wrote in his March 13 letter to families. “The reality is that we very well could be closed for a much longer duration.”
Educators, parents and children quickly pivoted to distance learning, and school districts found ways to get meals to students while schools were shut down during the pandemic. New London distributed meals to children via buses in a “meals-on-wheels” delivery.
School districts worked to get devices into the hands of students, with Groton, for example, distributing 1,400 Chromebooks to students over the course of several days,
But remote learning proved challenging to many students and families for a host of reasons, from a lack of Internet access to stress during the pandemic. Educators also were faced with a whole new way of teaching.
School districts worked to try to address some of the issues. In Norwich, for example, Human Services Director Lee-Ann Gomes helped connect families with Wi-Fi, and administrators said they spent time during April vacation to reach out to families and help boost attendees.
While many people hoped students would be able to return to school in-person to finish the school year, Gov. Ned Lamont and State Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona in early May announced that school was canceled for the rest of the year amid rising COVID-19 cases in many regions.
High school seniors lamented the cancelation of prom and traditional graduation ceremonies, and many high schools shifted to drive-through graduations in which students and families kept the event celebratory by driving cars outfitted with balloons, streamers and congratulatory messages.
As school officials began planning for the next school year, the future looked uncertain. In late June, the state announced school districts should plan to reopen schools in the fall, but also prepare for alternatives in the event COVID-19 cases spiked.
Lamont and Cardona told school officials in late July that they could return to school in a hybrid format, a mix of in-person and remote learning.
In late July, educators in East Lyme, Norwich, Ledyard and Stonington held rallies amid concerns about reopening schools. In August, labor unions for teaching staff, nurses, bus drivers and custodians outlined 13 principles to be in place before schools reopened, including mandatory mask wearing for students, at least six feet of social distancing, and assurances that there would be no reprisals against anyone who raised a health or safety concern.
Most school districts in the area opted for the hybrid model in which students would be separated into cohorts for two days of in-person learning and three days of remote learning, though some, like Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, opted for full in-person learning.
Colleges and universities also prepared to open their doors, most with a mix of in-person and distance learning. Connecticut College required twice-a-week testing and had students sign pledges regarding the college’s expectations for safety during the pandemic. In September, the college sent some students home who held dorm room gatherings that flouted the college’s rules.
Students returning to local schools adjusted to a new reality of wearing masks in school, keeping six feet of distance and learning remotely for three days a week.
Many parents, staff and students said they felt a mix of emotions as they returned to school: nervousness to start the school year during a pandemic and also excitement to finally return after months of separation.
Educators and families had to quickly adapt to remote learning technologies thrust upon them. School officials say that in-person learning provides educational, social and emotional benefits, but some also said that retaining some of the technologies that worked during remote learning will benefit districts in the long-term even after the pandemic. Groton Superintendent Michael Graner said the district shifted to a 1:1 technology initiative even for kindergarten children who now have tablets where they can access literacy and math instruction and other programs.
“If we embrace this challenge of moving and adapting to this new world of advanced technology and instructional technology, I think we are going to be a lot better off,” Graner said.
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