Worcester County School District Tout Successful First Days of In-Person Learning
BERLIN, Md. – Worcester County Public schools had their second day of class Wednesday, and teachers are happy to be back with their students.
“It feels so good, last year it was so difficult to not be with these kids like on the first day of classes especially teaching these younger guys so it’s been great in helping form those relationships,” said Buckingham Elementary Pre-K Teacher Michaela Hatlee.
Hatlee believes the start of classes at Buckingham Elementary in Berlin has been running smoothly, despite concerns some may have had over small kids being able to mask up for long periods of time.
“The masks are not a problem at all they weren’t last year either I think they know and understand the expectations and have dealt with it for so long it’s just normal for them,” she said.
Buckingham Elementary Principal Dr. Christina Welch told 47ABC of the 500 students enrolled the response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially with the younger students.
“I rode a school bus yesterday morning and little pre-k students pulled up into the bus loop and said ‘that’s my school Mrs.Welch’ and they were so excited to be here,” Welch said.
She says she is inspired by the amount of discipline and self-control her students are displaying, and that it’s a testament to how much being in-person means to everyone at the school.
“It’s an example of how resilient our children are because they came in with masks on ready to go,” she said.
Welch says she also understands that for some students, it may not be that easy to be back in a classroom after 18 months of online learning.
She says her district has also been working to make sure students who aren’t thriving are getting the care they need on campus including mental health, occupational, and speech therapy available on-sight for struggling students as well as special education programming.
She says those programs can not only help students adjust to being back but also are more effective in person.
“Doing occupational therapy at home on zoom doesn’t work the same way as at school where we can work with the therapist,” Welch said.
Both Hatlee and Dr. Welch told 47ABC they understand why some parents are worried about the youngest kids wearing masks all day, but they say with programming that incorporated outdoor mask breaks and increased socialization, students are still better off in-person, where they can learn intrapersonal skills like sharing and talking in turns.
For many of the students, it’s their first time in school, and the masking is routine and easy to follow.
“I can promise them all that under these masks are big smiles that are happy and just thankful to be here with their friends and their teachers,” Hatlee said.
