There are many uncertainties and concerns when it comes to returning to school in the fall, but not so many answers at this time. Since the start of quarantines across the country, schools have faced unprecedented challenges of adapting to virtual learning, addressing digital equity, and even basic needs for children, like food security. 

School districts are considering a range of options for staff and students to safely return to school: 

• Alternating schedules between in-person and virtual learning

• Staggering classes 

• Developing guidelines for non-classroom spaces (i.e. cafeteria, playground, buses) 

• Reducing class sizes to accommodate physical distancing 

• Increasing distance learning resources 

• Providing options for students/staff unable to return 

• Addressing continued access and connectivity inequities 

• Staff training for the new year on blended learning options 

• Increasing community partnerships to support distance learning and childcare services 

School leaders have a tough job of delivering creative solutions within the confines of a pandemic, while on a diminishing budget. The bottom line is, each locality will need to evaluate their respective health indicators and safety plan feasibility before staff and students return to buildings. 

As a teacher, I have many worries, too - the safety protocols for physical distancing, the academic gaps that children will inevitably have after months of patchwork virtual schooling, but most importantly, the social-emotional well-being of the classroom community.

What is certain, is that a lot of time should be dedicated to building relationships and community, more so than a typical school year - relationships between teacher and student, student to student, parent to teacher. These have always been critical to school success but now they need to be prioritized above all.  Without the foundation of emotional well-being, transitioning back to school with the purpose of learning, would be incredibly challenging when children may be facing trauma, anxiety, depression, and fear. Education will require an even stronger collaborative approach with all stakeholders (teachers, parents, counselors, administrators, community partnerships), working in sync towards a common goal — the  social-emotional health of children. Let’s remove the pressure of ‘catching up’ on academics and give teachers permission to develop relationships and trust with their new students, especially if they are able start the year in person. 

Schools and staff have to think differently. How can we set up children for success, potentially through another year of turbulence? As an educator with a background in policy, these are my personal recommendations for school leaders and staff. They are organized generally in order of importance, however, keep in mind that each recommendation can occur simultaneously with others. 

1. Do you know your community?

We need to meet students where they are, and to do so, teachers need open communication with new families to gather vital information.

Are your students ok?

Do they know people that are sick or have died recently? Have they experienced housing or financial hardships? This can be a hard conversation to have with parents/guardians, but it’s important for teachers to identify families that have been directly or indirectly impacted by recent events. Arming yourself with knowledge of their family life can inform how you support them with school or local community services, as well as the counseling and emotional needs of at-risk children.

Do your students have easy access to digital devices at home?

If possible, send home a survey before the school year to collect data on their digital device accessibility and the type of device (iPad vs. chromebook/laptop set-up can impact the usability for younger children and the functionality of some digital learning tools.) This information helps you determine how effective your instruction will be and gives you time to anticipate and plan around challenges. 

What percentage of your students receive free or reduced lunch?

These statistics can impact your overall approach to teaching this year, especially when it comes to home life stability and your expectations of virtual learning or blended learning models. If you believe that there will be equity challenges, including digital equity, think about how your school can help families receive the resources they need, from borrowing iPads to ensuring kids have school lunches during lockdowns.

Are there family members at home who can support with virtual learning?

Some families will have unavailable essential workers, some with multiple siblings, some working full-time remotely. Gathering this data for your classroom planning can inform your strategy this year and adjust your expectations on what is possible with homeschooling. Keep questions like this in mind to plan an inclusive way of teaching if distance learning is on the table again. 

2. Build community!

Cultivate a classroom of belonging by carving out time to learn about each other, share stories, and acknowledge the unpredictable new school year. 

How did your students handle the big changes from last year?

Open up a developmentally appropriate conversation about their experiences and feelings, and be honest with them about your own. This shared vulnerability is the driving force of empathy and connection. Establish the expectation that everyone will be working on their flexibility this school year, including yourself! Let kids ask questions and see if you can quell any fears. Make it clear that new structures will be put into place to help everyone be successful and that routines can change. Reassure them that your job is to figure it out, and that their job is to just try their best! 

Get to know your students personally and prioritize their time to connect.

Observe. What are their strengths, areas of growth, identities, personal interests? And give them more time than usual to get to know each other! Your students may be craving opportunities to be social, which is critical to their development. Understanding who your students are and what they enjoy can be valuable in planning engaging content and projects, both in person and virtually. The upcoming school year may require deviation from your traditional curriculum, which can be a wonderful opportunity to personalize education and enrich the experiences for your new students. 

3. What are your students’ digital literacy skills?

If the school year kicks off in person, practice blended learning models early on. Teach into the ‘hows’ - logging into a Seesaw account, reading some literacy texts online, engaging in a few digital assignments regularly. If you assign homework, make it digital this year if feasible, so that you can troubleshoot and provide in-person support, while establishing routines that will make a return to distance learning easier downstream. Make sure that each child has the minimal skills necessary to feel confident in navigating a virtual environment. Consider doing some partner teaching with your school’s technologist to have extra hands in the classroom, especially to support young learners as they manage digital devices or unfamiliar apps. 

4. What content knowledge and skills do students have?

As you normally would at the beginning of the year, gather data using high quality diagnostic assessments. Communicate with your students’ teachers from the previous year to better understand where they left off on grade level standards. Recognize that more of the year will be spent reviewing and slowly building on current student knowledge, and that’s ok. 

Take note that academics is #4. Again, this doesn’t mean that academics can’t be achieved simultaneously; we should simply ensure that a baseline for mental health is met first before diving head first into typical grade level work. Let’s not forget Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - children’s physiological (food security, shelter) and safety needs and a sense of belonging must be addressed before self-actualization, or in other words, their availability to learn. 

If school leadership does not take the time to build and nurture the very important school relationships, distance learning will be more trying and less effective, especially as children of all ages thrive on connection. Strong, trusting relationships make learning more engaging and school, whether brick and mortar or virtual, feel like a safe haven. In an ideal situation, teachers would have the opportunity to receive summer training on managing potential emotional challenges - depression, anxiety, trauma, fear, etc. 

Experts have repeatedly said that there is a real possibility of a fall surge, therefore we have to prepare ourselves for a challenging year ahead, with at least some level of distance learning and time away from any in-person connection. As a result, summer to the beginning of the school year is a critical time for educators to rebuild the foundation for learning - gather as much family information as possible, plan to address student emotional and mental health needs, shore up digital literacy skills, and resources for continued at home learning. All this uncertainty around what school will look like calls for healing, relationship building, and some level of digital literacy training, to prepare for an unknown future.