Monday was the return to personal learning for New Brunswick’s elementary and middle school students – the first time these children have been back in the classroom since before the winter break.
While the province may not yet be taking a full step back to normal, students and parents are at least seeing a return to a more normal morning routine.
“Our kids were not entirely excited about the idea of going back,” Salisbury, NB, resident Jenna Morton told Global News.
“They really like the idea that they do not have to get up and only have to go out in the cold in the morning.”
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Still, she says the morning went smoother than she expected.
In addition to mothering three children under 12, Morton runs a parenting blog.
Her daughter in grade 5 and twin boys in grade 3 all returned to the classroom on Monday, while high school students return on Wednesday.
From there, the province’s plan is to stick to personal learning full-time, except for certain situations where COVID-19 cases arise.
Even as numbers rise and the province moves back to Level 3 of its Winter Warning Plan, the return to online learning will be indicated separately by Public Health.
The union, which represents New Brunswick’s teachers, said it was optimistic there would not be another widespread outbreak this winter.
“My understanding is there is a plan in place for certain now until March break,” says New Brunswick Teachers Association president Connie Keating.
She says she is happy to see some stability in the education system.
“For almost two years now, teachers across the country have been sounding the alarm about the detrimental impact of interrupted schooling on students,” says Keating.
And amid those months of advocacy for students, Keating says staffing shortages that have affected teachers for years reach the breaking point when one (or more) has to isolate.
“These shortcomings were already clear before COVID, but now we are definitely seeing a lot of pressure on the system,” she says.
She says she believes the government is hearing their concerns, with school districts trying a new approach to supplementation.
“Depending on the district, the plan may look a little different,” says Keating, “but basically there are three or four levels from which other than regular stock teachers will be called in to come in.”
She says broader recruitment and retention is on the list to deal with – and it will also tick off an item from Morton’s list.
She says she hopes to see smaller class sizes along the way.
For now, both embrace this return to schools.
“I think we need to take that leap of faith to try to live with the situation we are in,” Morton said.
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Reference-globalnews.ca