It was a school year start like no other. Reopening in the time of coronavirus meant teachers gathered at their schools, faces masked and seats distanced, rather than packing the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium.
Students signed on from home, met their teachers and classmates virtually, then used learning modules while their teachers honed their skills on the platforms they’ll use for a distance learning program that has taken leaps forward from the one put in place in March.
For a start that delivers education in an entirely new way, things went well, said Acting Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero.
“There are always bumps in the road, especially with new initiatives, even more so when making such major adjustments to our program to fit circumstances that none of us have dealt with before,” Dr. Marrero said. “All things considered, this opening week went smoothly, and we are under way in providing a high quality education for our students. I want to thank the teachers for their dedication, the parents for their feedback and the students for their engagement.”
For the first days, most teachers will lead their classes from their homes. In the coming weeks, teachers will move to the classrooms. Students are scheduled to return to the schools in phases to build up to a hybrid model where they will learn in class part time and from home the rest of the week.
The earlier grades will return first, with New Rochelle High School scheduled to welcome students in November. (See schedule below.)
All will return to buildings that are being cleaned and disinfected with cutting-edge methods, desks spaced six feet apart, floors marked with arrows to guide foot traffic in smooth-flowing patterns that help maintain distance.
New Rochelle High School Interim Principal Steve Goldberg toured his building with a six-foot ruler to make sure desks were adequately spaced for when students return to the classrooms.
"As we master virtual learning, hybrid will be a lot easier," Goldberg said. "By the time November arrives we'll have an idea of how this all works – of how to deal with meals and fire drills."
Ideally, students and teachers would already be in school together. But Trinity Elementary School fifth grader Matthew Monzon was happy to get started, if on the computer.
“I’m excited that I get to see my teachers and my friends,” he said, adding; “I hope that you guys have a good year.”
His mother, Mary Monzon, said his homeroom teacher got things going from the start.
“She was on and ready to roll,” Mary Monzon said. “She went around, introduced herself, it was really nice. She made a point to include everybody.”
The teacher even took a moment to spotlight each student, allowing every one to share a memory from the summer.
High school junior Stephanie Santiago said it feels strange to have been learning from home so long.
“I’m looking forward to coming back,” she said. “The computer is just not the same as face-to-face.”
She saw a silver lining to the online classes, however, explaining, “I feel like it’s preparing me for computer work and jobs from home.”
