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Sunday, August 2, 2020

Should I send my kids back to school? Norwalk parents say it's a tough decision - CT Insider

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NORWALK — The deadline is Friday. By then, Norwalk parents must decide whether to send their children back to school or have them continue remote learning.

The latest plan for Norwalk Public Schools reduces elementary class size by 50 percent. Middle and high school students will be in a hybrid model — some days in school, some days of remote learning.

If all elementary school students return to school, the district will need twice as many classrooms. Many parents, however, may opt to keep their children home. In order to finalize plans, school officials must know what the parents plan to do.

So by Friday, all parents are required to complete a new registration form.

But it’s agonizing. What’s best for the child? What’s best for the family? What’s best for the children’s academic needs? What’s best for their social and emotional needs?

For some families, there are few choices.

Sara Pennella has a daughter in sixth grade with a rare disease. “Any time she gets a virus, it can be very dangerous and require hospitalization,” she said. “I’m not sending her yet.”

And many parents work outside of the home, so having their children in school, learning and socializing, is the best and often only option.

Katelyn Moffett and her husband teach at Norwalk High School, and they have a first-grader and a 6-month old. She plans to send her son to Cranbury School in September.

“The benefits of little kids meeting their teachers and getting to know their classmates quickly outweigh the risks,” she said.

But she doesn’t think school will be in session for long. “I think we’ll shut down again when cases start to rise,” she said.

But for many parents, it’s a more complicated decision.

Even though children have experienced remote learning for three months, the new model is different. The paper learning packets are gone, every student will have a computer, and the children at home will be connected to the classrooms. The teachers will be on camera, assignments will be on Google Classroom or another digital platform, and children will be at home, watching and participating in the lessons.

For some, parents say, that is not a good option.

Bobbi Stashenko, a mother of two young sons, said her first-grader at Rowayton School dreaded learning via Zoom.

“He hated having to read to the teachers. He hated being read to over Zoom,” she said. “The only thing he loved was working on the iPad, and I had to drag him outside to have fun.”

Christina Jimenez Rothstein has a first-grader at Columbus School. Her child did well on distance learning only when Rothstein worked with her 100 percent of the time.

“Now, I will be expected to be present for the supervision of distance learning — six hours on the computer pulling this work out of her,” said Rothstein, who says she and her husband work from home. “I cannot fathom it.”

Moffett said it’s an impossible situation working from home and educating your own child.

“I liked the packets because my son could get to the work whenever it was convenient,” she said. “I think it will be very different if teachers have a microphone and a camera.”

On the other hand, this new plan ensures a seamless transition from in-school instruction to remote learning if children get sick or if the district closes again because of a rise in COVID cases, said Brenda Williams, the chief communications officer of Norwalk Public Schools.

Parents know their children need the academic, social and emotional stimulation that schools provide — a caring teacher, an encouraging learning environment, working together with other kids, and having friends. But they worry the new requirements will make it harder to create those positive conditions in the classroom.

Rothstein described her daughter as a hugger: “She wants to hug her classmates and her teachers.”

In this new environment, children can’t be close and certainly can’t hug their friends.

“In my gut, this is wrong,” Rothstein said. “Human connection is a core human need.”

Stashenko agreed. “The teachers can’t rub my son’s back or give him a hug when he’s down. It doesn’t paint a picture of the learning environment I want for him.”

So the choices are hard. Go to school where the learning environment may not be ideal or choose remote learning where the situation may also not be ideal.

Some parents are considering a third option: homeschooling.

If parents opt to homeschool, they become the teachers, provide the materials, and plan the curriculum. They can create their own instruction, based on the Norwalk school district curriculum and standards, or they can purchase curricular materials and instruction from educational companies.

Some parents find this an attractive option, and Panella is thinking about it very seriously.

“I have the type of job that I can do homeschooling,” she said. “It’s not my first choice, but I’d get good at it if I have to.”

Rothstein said there are attractive aspects to homeschooling. “We can pick a curriculum we are excited about, we could create experiential learning, and we can create our own schedule that works for our family,” she said.

Even so, the choices are hard. Parents said they want their children to return to school, at least when things are back to normal. They want their children in the stimulating, diverse learning environment that they believe Norwalk Public Schools offer. But they remain conflicted about what decision they will make by Friday.

Stashenko encouraged parents to stay calm.

“This is all a phase,” she said. “It’s going to pass, and it’s not going to make or break our kids. We just have to think outside of the box until things settle down.”

Parents who have not received re-registration forms should contact their school.

Roz McCarthy is a former Norwalk school board member and Norwalk Public Schools employee. Email her at rozmcc2@gmail.com

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August 02, 2020 at 06:00PM
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/coronavirus/thehour/article/Should-I-send-my-kids-back-to-school-Norwalk-15452358.php

Should I send my kids back to school? Norwalk parents say it's a tough decision - CT Insider

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