Losses, Returns, and Physical Experiences

 Last week was the first week back to in-person learning after six weeks of online remote learning instruction and two months of time apart. 

Returning back to our classroom and seeing each other face-to-face was a bit surreal. Many students did not enjoy learning through their screens, but after six weeks, they had become accustomed to the new routine. Our first day was a more subdued affair. It felt a bit like September over again, yet it was still a continuation. 

Part of the quiet might be attributed to the reduction in numbers. Educators have been advocating for smaller class sizes even prior to this pandemic. We are achieving this shrinking size, but not due to any action by the provincial government or the school boards; it is because several of our students' families have elected to transfer them from the "bricks and mortar" school to "virtual school". We officially lost three in my class on the first day back to physical school, and we might be losing three more. Another student is moving to another district, which means that my original class of 25 might now consist of 17 students. I should be jubilant - less students means more physical space, less marking, and more attention for those who need help. I can't be that joyful, because I will miss those students who have moved to a different mode of learning and I know that many of those virtual classrooms have ridiculously large numbers; the already-overworked virtual teachers will now have to find a way to welcome new students into their online communities in addition to their other responsibilities. 

We had to make the most of our returning time together. There's a bit of uncertainty around how long this latest round of gathered learning will last. My goal for this past week was to ensure we had as many memorable, physical experiences that could not be replicated in the digital world. I think we may have accomplished it.

In science class, the Grade 6 students built electric circuits, and the Grade 5s constructed popsicle molds.

In math class, we played a kinesthetic game called Fraction Action to demonstrate how to collaboratively construct fractions with our bodies. (Below is a photo of the page in the book I seized the idea from.) I will try and credit the source once I examine the book in my classroom.

For gym, we went sledding. It was glorious. My student teacher and I had to prevent passers-by from taking photos of our students, because even strangers could see how much fun they were having. 

For dance class, we launched our dance unit by considering what "counts" as dance or not. Some of the brainstorming led to some great ideas for future lessons. One such lesson was on "illegal" dances (such as the Plains Sun Dance) as well as "suppressed" dances (such as the Can Can). Some students had the chance to try on Can Can skirts and attempt some of the moves. (The photo below is of me, wearing my old jazz shoes from my dance-school-teaching days, and my Can Can skirt.) I was able to remember many of the steps I was taught, although I'm not in shape quite the way I was thirty years ago.

 In language, we congregated safely in guided reading groups to examine comics, and read our anticipated new graphic novel read-aloud, Class Act. 

In visual arts, we were able to access both oil and real chalk pastels - during virtual learning, we had to make do with a few pieces of blackboard chalk - to create new designs and effects with brighter colours and bigger pieces of paper. 

I hope that we will continue to make more positive memories of this most-unusual-year, minimize our losses, and welcome our returns with new appreciation.