MONROE — It’s a May Day tradition at Parkside Elementary School in Monroe for students to pass out May Day baskets in the neighborhood, including at Twining Valley Assisted Living.
But with schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and children (and parents) undertaking virtual learning from home, teachers had to get creative this year.
“Now the teachers are surprising their kids with baskets,” said Kelly Knox, a second grade teacher at Parkside. Knox and her co-teacher Toni Wellman passed out 44 baskets to their students on May 1, each filled with homemade flowers, Hershey’s Kisses, balloons, a crossword puzzle and other fun treats.
“It’s another way to stay connected,” Knox said. “We want our students to know we love them and we miss them.”
Teachers are having to get creative to connect with their students, whether it’s through video conference calls or “going back to old school” with handwritten letters, Knox said.
“I cannot even begin to express the level of sadness I have and how much I miss my students,” she said.
Posting assignments online for students to do at home is easy, but finding ways to connect on a personal level is harder, she said: “Nothing takes the place of face-to-face interaction (and) hearing their voices.”
Knox and Wellman try to get creative with lunch dates, scavenger hunts and bingo with the whole class — all by video conference.
“It gets very, very loud. ... We have to mute them all so they can share one by one,” she said.
When it comes to curriculum, “most of the content is review,” she said. “We can’t expect their parents to sit down and teach them these new skills.”
Corrine Hendrickson, who runs the Corrine’s Little Explorers daycare in New Glarus, is closed during the “Safer at Home” order but she’s been keeping up a virtual meeting place for the children in a private Facebook group. They have story time and do group chats.
Even for the little ones, “it’s mass chaos and fun,” she said.
Brooke Skidmore, who runs The Growing Tree daycare in New Glarus, is also closed but has likewise been keeping up with her young students. One teacher does a daily story time online. Another did a virtual demonstration on how to make slime at home.
“We’re trying to make those connections. I’ve mailed letters to the kids, just because kids like to get mail,” Skidmore said. “It’s been a surreal experience not to have our kids with us.”
For older children, connecting means opening up a line of communication and simply “being available,” said Katie McIlvanie, a seventh grade English teacher at Monroe Middle School.
“They want to see each other and they want a chance to talk about stuff,” she said. One important way to do that has been a weekly homeroom hangout, via video. Teachers are also doing live sessions and office hours by video and, for students who don’t have internet access, checking in by phone.
“It’s been really tough in that regard. You can only feel so much connection across a computer,” she said, adding that the school district has been “really great and really supportive” throughout the closure.
“We’re making it work. ... We just want (the students) to know we’re here for them and we’re all doing the best we can and we miss them and we can’t wait for the chance to see them again.”
Knox echoed this sentiment.
“I know we’re going to be OK. Whenever we get to go back to school, I have 100% faith in our school system. We’re going to get our students back on track,” she said.
