The Approach To Reopening Schools: Decoding The Terminology

With the dialogue swirling around what school is going to look like this Fall, I am realizing that there is a plethora of terminology being used by educators, politicians, and pundits alike that may be confusing. Some terms are being interchanged with one another which, I imagine, is leading to even more bewilderment with regards to the safety and security of your children. 

I’m here to help.

Here’s a baseline set of definitions and descriptors to assist in decoding the jargon you’re hearing day-in and day-out:

• Blended Learning: According to Clifford Maxwell for Blended Learning Universe, “blended learning is any formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace.” Historically, this term has been used to define a combination of students learning through direct instruction from their teacher(s) while also receiving instruction from adaptive software that creates a learning path based upon their unique, individualized learning needs. 

Blended Learning should not be confused with the ideology of blending at-home and at-school instruction together like what took place in the Spring. Instead, parents should be referencing this terminology when their children log into Khan Academy, Imagine Learning, or Freckle for example; take a benchmark assessment to determine their strengths and areas of improvement in a variety of subjects; or  complete a suite of tasks that are leveled and designed to meet student(s) exactly where they are on their own unique academic journey. 

• Distance Learning: Distance learning refers to a student learning at-home, at a distance from their school’s campus. Students are given online instruction and tasks from their teachers and they are to complete these at home, submitting them in video, digital, or written (via snapshot) form for editing and grading.

• Hybrid Model: This term refers to students participating in both in-classroom learning and distance learning. Many schools and school districts are working to implement this system in the Fall with students in smaller cohorts rotating between attending classes on-campus and at-home. Some of these models include having students at home join in with their classmates at school by watching all lessons via Zoom or other web-conferencing platforms.  Other ideas include having teacher’s aides assist with checking in on students at home while the lead teacher focuses on instructing the students within their physical classroom. 

This model relies heavily on Blended Learning technology to be done impactfully, so it is crucial for schools and districts to ensure that their students are outfitted with the proper technology to be able to learn from home. Chromebooks, iPads, hotspots, liaising with local internet providers on families’ behalf, these are the responsibilities of academic communities to make both distance and hybrid learning feasible.

You already know about masks, about hand sanitizer, about social distancing. You know that class sizes will likely be smaller and lunchtime will be indoors. Hallways will be one-way thoroughfares and there will be a bathroom schedule to prevent overcrowding.

So, what comes next? Last week I illustrated what I am doing, as an administrator, to get ready. Success in the Fall depends on preparation, so here are some ways to ready yourself, your kids, and your home for what’s to come:

1. Invest in the practical. School supply lists will likely be very different this year, pared down from their usual robustness, so if you can, email your child’s teacher now. Find out directly from them what, if any, supplies they are going to need this Fall. Will their teacher be doing much pencil-to-paper work, or will the majority be on a screen? Are there classroom supplies that you can help contribute to given the sanitation requirements of  a hybrid model? Extra paper towels, Clorox wipes, bottles of hand sanitizer, or pre-sharpened pencils to add to the classroom cache? A hybrid model is only impactful if everyone invests in its success, together.

Additionally, as I am recommending to my school families, prepare a cache of masks for your kiddos. One on their face as they leave the house. One in their backpack, another in their lunchbox. A Ziploc bag, labelled with their name, and filled with a minimum of five extras that their teacher can keep for them in the classroom if the other options become soiled or unusable. If they are able to wear free dress to school, make daily outfits easy to put on and even easier to wash at night.

Invest in several water bottles that can be quickly sanitized and used on a daily basis with your child as communal drinking fountains are going to be a big time no-no at school. Practice opening difficult snack packaging with them at home this summer as the limiting of person-to-person contact at school will definitely preclude who can help your child open and close their snack packs during recess and lunch. Consider parceling out snacks, sandwiches, and other treats into easier to open pouches and zippered baggies to make mealtime as easy as possible on everyone.

2. Get their study space ready. You’re going to keep hearing me say this. 

In the Spring, when the shelter-in-place was thrust upon us, it was understandable to clear off a corner of the kitchen table and set-up shop for your child’s schooling. But now, that just can’t remain the case.

At best, students will be able to attend class, in-person, part of the time in the Fall. But, that means that they will still be working from home, too. Take time this summer to get their at-home study space ready. Have it located near an outlet so that they can consistently keep all devices charged for use throughout the day. Have it armed with a mash-up of binder and scratch paper, pens and pencils, highlighters, and index cards. Post-it notes are great for marking pages in textbooks and novels as they read and respond. Have a list of log-ins at their desk, on the refrigerator, in your phone—you’ll need these handy. How’s your wi-fi? Do you need to upgrade your speed, your modem, get a hotspot? We don’t need to get caught off-guard this time around.

3. Don’t tell your kids you want them out. This is a tough one for me to narrate as I want you to know that I totally understand the frustration, the impatience, the exhaustion that has come with homeschooling. Zoom fatigue has nothing on the weariness of parents and guardians everywhere who have had to navigate their own jobs while also playing teacher from 9 to 5. And, on behalf of educators everywhere, I want to thank you for your partnership and let you know just how much we appreciate you!

Back when I was teaching Seventh Grade, I clearly remember one (of many!) conversations. This mom, in particular, was at her wits’ end with her prepubescent daughter who was going through a rather brutal hormonal surge. She came in one morning, threw down her handbag, and said to me:

“You have to keep [student’s name] here until June. I just can’t deal with her anymore!”

Certainly understandable.

I have been on the receiving end of many of these same conversations since schools closed back in March, though hormones and teenage attitudes aren’t the driving force—instead, the shelter-in-place is. But here’s the thing—your kids hear you say this. They are on the receiving end of your frustration, and unfortunately, this situation is as out of their hands as it is yours. 

If you need some space, tell them. If you are feeling overwhelmed, let them know that as they, too, are probably feeling the same way. If something they are doing is bothering you or hampering your own work-from-home dealings, come up with a solution, together, to mitigate the disruption. But, don’t joke with them, your friends, or their teachers about how you want them gone. I’ve seen the heartbreak these comments can have on your kiddos—even though I know that is not your intention.

We don’t know what the Fall has in store—but, unlike in March when we were all unexpectedly clocked from behind by COVID and school closures, this time we can claim some sense of control and get ready to tackle the new year, in whatever form it takes, head on.