Re-opening of an Elementary School post Covid-19 lockdown

Sarah Ford

Impressions of the fi rst days

If anyone had asked my opinion before the re-opening of our Elementary School doors in May this year, my honest feelings were of concern and anxiety for the students as they returned to their place of learning, and of safety and familiarity. We were given a directive to open by the Austrian Government, and therefore my opinion was not important; my job was to re-open the Elementary School in the best way possible, for students, staff and our school community. So much seemed likely to be different – from the moment the children came into school, to the staggered, end of day pick-up. I worried for the mental well-being of children who had not been in school for 9 weeks. But anxiety was dispelled within the fi rst hour of the fi rst day on which we welcomed students back – their excitement, resilience, and unquenchable feeling of trust and fun, were all still there. I love the exuberance of the young!

Logistics and organisational changes were huge; one-way staircases, desks or tables spaced out according to regulations, splitting classes in 2 groups without prejudice or possible suggestion of ‘favouritism’, lunchroom guidelines, outside times strictly controlled, no sharing of equipment or resources. This list was endless, and pretty mindless, albeit vital for us to be able to reopen. The many hours of timetable changes, curriculum modifi cations, blended learning programs for at-home and in-school days, provision for those not able to come at all, and supervision for those who have to be in school every day (in small, self-contained groups, not mixing with others). It was one of the most complex jigsaws I have ever experienced.

The fi rst groups of students arrived for day one, in masks, leaving parents outside the door (also in masks), and came in hesitantly, with anticipation. As they entered the building they were greeted by the Director and myself at the door, as we had always done previously (we were described as ‘dental hygienists’, ‘aliens’ or ‘bee-keepers’ by the children!), and by two smiling classroom assistants who helped them to use the hand sanitizer one by one, as they entered, at the required distance from one another, and directed them to their classes, the correct way round the new one-way systems. Then began the rounds of hand sanitizing, heading to classrooms, fi nding their own space, and… staying there. Trying to help them understand why all this was happening was important, and almost impossible, particularly for the younger ones. But most were well-prepared, and tried hard to follow what was necessary. And, despite the huge change to their previously-familiar environment – the limited movement, the minimal outside time, and the class groupings that split friendships – by the end of the day every student went home having enjoyed themselves. And every one returned for day two, with a few extras, eager to learn in their new environment.

When day three began, we started again – as this was day one for the second group of students. They came in a little less hesitant, and more excited, perhaps because they had heard positive things from peers, or perhaps because they were very different characters. The feeling was similar, but at the same time very different – almost every teacher commented on the ‘feisty’, or ‘active’, group of students who had arrived in group two – split alphabetically by last name, it was a random division, and yet consistent to meet the requirement of placing siblings in the same group. They still shared the excitement, and the joy of being able to talk to friends, to invent games in the playground, though a little less tolerant of the restrictions and limitations. This was how we set the wheels back in motion, allowing onsite learning to recommence for most. We managed to maintain this structure – just – for the remaining weeks of May and June. In total, our students were able to attend school for 10 days onsite, with 10 days online. Was it worth it? Yes, I believe it was: not just worth it, but an essential piece of the puzzle, preparing for what was to come next – though we did not know it at the time. In the short-term, it allowed students to remind themselves of friendships, and to reconnect with school as a ‘safe place’, to restore normality of routine and to bring some kind of closure to the school year. In the longer-term, it prepared all of us to expect the unexpected, and to look for the positives in every situation. For staff, the 4 weeks seemed like an eternity, and were very complicated, as we tried to navigate running 2 programs concurrently, while also accommodating those students who could not return. Complex, tense and stressful in so many ways, these weeks pushed many to the limits of their mental stamina, perhaps almost beyond.

And then came summer – a welcome relief for all, where restrictions were eased, and families could return

to a more normal, summertime life. Many were able to take holidays, and the ‘numbers’ seemed to reduce, allowing life to settle into an uneasy and slightly restricted ‘normal’.

Will any of this make a di erence?

What of the longer-lasting effects and challenges of that time, and the further-reaching implications? Some time and refl ection was needed to see what worked, what didn’t, and what needed a rethink should this type of learning environment need to be sustainable for a longer-term – and even to begin to understand what might change permanently for Elementary education as a result of this hiatus.

Changing contexts for best learning – what is the essence of ‘school’? Is it the building, the institution, the ‘place’ where learning happens, or is it something entirely different? Did the enforced physical separation, in turn, perhaps create a different understanding of ‘school’? The traditional concept of learning taking place when a teacher is present, in a particular room or building, and ‘homework’ being a continuation of ‘schoolwork’, became somewhat more blurred. So much learning took place over those 9 weeks, and we saw so much learning and progress in our students (even the youngest ones) from their time of ‘home-learning’. Of course, this is contextual, and variable, dependent on access to resources, or help from an adult, but the sense of achievement and the delight of those who managed to complete assignments independently, or of those who realised the point at which they needed to ask their teacher for more guidance, are all testament to the diverse skills development and ‘learning’ that took place. As we moved into a time of blended learning for the rest of the school year, with 2 days in school and 2 days at home on a 4-day rotation, the expectations, planning, support and teaching styles continued to change, while we continued to be impressed with the engagement, willingness and enthusiasm of the majority of our students and the support from families for the new and evolving structure of ‘learning’.

The importance of fl exibility and creativity in building curriculum No matter the curriculum framework, there are common skills which need to be learned as children grow older. There are key development steps which are vital for progress to be consistent and sequential, but the content aspect, the ‘coverage’ of curriculum and the prescriptive way of doing things, perhaps, reached the time where change is important. Tasks to be completed over a blended home-school time needed to be simple, clear and openended, allowing for diversity in response and creativity in approach. Even the simplest task of ‘writing a journal entry’ could be approached in creative ways. The learning engagements devised by teachers also provided scope for creativity as tasks had to be adapted to ‘static’, individual desk-based activities. I am so proud of my team for their resourcefulness in coming up with vibrant, creative ideas, and different ways to collaborate – from modelling with 5 recycled items (which had been untouched in school for 9 weeks) and a roll of masking tape per student, to building a shared city, or space station or vehicle, to collaborative art projects over a number of days, incorporating watercoloured washes as a background for textured collages, using work created by others to build upon, to video clips of solo performances joined together – the ideas are endless. But underlying all of the activities always has to be the fundamental question of ‘what is really important for learning?’

Maintaining and strengthening the ‘community’ aspect of school, in distance learning, blended home-and-school learning, and conventional school Dealing with the many different family situations in any school brings much of the joy, and a certain complexity in building ‘community’. Our own school community has 68 nationalities, from all continents, coming together in a unique experience of school. Maintaining that sense of community was one of the most important aspects of my role throughout the 9-week lockdown period. Weekly video conferencing with each class set of parents, right from the fi rst week in lockdown, gave us a sense of the journey each family had to take; understanding the physical distance for some families who relocated back to their ‘home’ country as the crisis began, and then had to unravel what this meant as we re-opened but they were not able to return to Austria; and understanding the experiences of those families with vulnerable members, those with health issues or other reasons why they could not come back to ‘school’. Each individual family context is important and deserves acknowledgement for the way students coped, survived or thrived during this time. Weekly virtual assemblies, shared with the whole Elementary community, allowed me to share a thought for the week, and gave an opportunity to feel that this situation is bigger than just us. Themes included ‘together’, ‘stay at home’, ‘rainbows of hope’, ‘how we learn affects what we learn’, and a preparation for returning to school. All of these were appreciated by families, with many saying that they found it a special time to have the family together, watching and refl ecting on the themes. One of the fi rst requests on day one when we re-opened was that assembly videos should continue. There are many ways to build and strengthen ‘community’, and this remains an essential element of our school culture.

Student and staff wellbeing, both in and out of the school The primary concern of any institution is the safety and well-being of its community. For schools, during this crisis, this has had many facets. Physical and mental well-being is paramount