Hello there everyone! Happy 4th of July and Happy Summer! I am delighted to link up for the third week of Hot Lunch Tray's Blog Challenge!
Student Supports
The cohort part of the year (from September to the end of March) made transitioning back to in-person learning easier. I met with each student every day multiple times to check in and to help academically. We spent a lot of time reviewing; even with new material, the students needed more opportunities to retain their new learning. In the past, I would do centers, and this year, it was each student learning on his or her own. Luckily, I was able to actively help due to small class size, but then...
My students needed even more empathy and support from me. When we went from cohorts to full-time learning at the beginning of April, the kids were miserable the first week:
"We're so tired."
"We're starving."
"We need the bathroom."
We had additional class meetings (other than our usually scheduled Morning Meeting). We thought of solutions to their problems. One students asked if she could have a second snack during Quiet Time after lunch recess. Many students jumped on that bandwagon! That definitely helped with the hunger issue. The fatigue and need for the bathroom adjustments were fine after that first week.
A support I really missed: my rug!
During normal times, my students and I spend a great deal of time on the rug: for morning meeting, read-alouds, sharing,... Our rugs were removed to make more space so that the kids could sit 6 feet apart. I wanted my students to have a change of scenery, but they had to stay at their desks.
Instead of going to the rug, we had a morning stroll around the perimeter of the classroom. This was during the cohort part of the year. We walked for about 5 minutes. I called it the "train." Kids would hop on as I passed their desks, and we would just walk. Special teachers knew we walked at 11:30 every day so they would pop in to join us.
Directed Drawing
Last year my students and I did a lot of directed drawings. I tried to make them go along with what we were learning. I even made my own because I could not find one on how to draw a longhouse!
While reading over this post and thinking about last year, I can't believe we did it! Even with all the supports, the success depended on resilience, teamwork and problem solving. I am so proud of all of us for getting through each day because each day was an adventure!
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