Guest Op-Ed: A Typical Class Schedule in the Time of COVID: One Teacher’s Perspective…

By Allen Reitz

Prior to the 2020-2021 school year, all students will be given an A or B designation before the school year begins. Starting this fall only half of our students can attend school on any given day to maximize space (6 feet) between each student’s desk in all classes.

Students with an A designation will attend school Mondays and Wednesdays.

Students with a B designation will attend school Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Fridays – A and B Students will alternate on Fridays on a weekly basis starting from the first official week of school.

The days when students are not in school, they are required to participate online between 9:15-12:00, during all teacher guided lessons.

Student Arrival and Temperature Check In:

7:30 – 8:00: All students that ride the bus, walk, or are dropped off by car are required to wear a mask upon entering the school grounds.  Masks must be worn throughout the day. Before entering the building, all students will line up, 6 feet apart, and undergo a temperature check. Students that are shown with a fever will be quarantined in a designated area of the nurse’s office and rechecked within a 30-minute time allotment.  If the student continues to have a high temperature after the recheck, he or she will be sent home for a minimum of 72 hours (without any high temperature) or they can come back to school if they show a negative test for Covid.  

All Stairs and Hallways are now One-Way Walking Zones

8:00 – 8:30: After temperature checks and using the hand sanitizer stations, all students will follow directional arrows to their classrooms. All stairs and hallways are now one-way walking zones. 

Students Entering the Classroom

8:30-8:45: Upon entering the classroom, all students must put away their backpacks and jackets in their designated cubby, closet or locker. After putting away their things and taking their homework out of their bags, all students must wash their hands.

Morning Work – Student desks will be 6 Feet Apart – maintained for the year

8:45-9:15: Students to work on morning work while breakfast is provided in the classroom.  Sharing is strictly prohibited.  After breakfast, students are required to wash their hands.

Lessons Begin – Students at home sign onto remote learning, which is televised on the classroom whiteboard.  Attendance for remote students will be taken.

9:15–10:30: ELA Lesson

10:30 – 12:00: Math Lesson

After 12:00, remote learning ends and students log off.

Lunch

12:00-12:30: Students that receive a free lunch will walk down the designated stairwell to receive their lunch from the cafeteria.  Temperature checks will take place prior to entering the cafeteria. After securing their lunch, they will take the designated stairwell back up to the classroom to eat at their desk.  Sharing is prohibited.

Recess

12:30-12:50: Only two classes can have recess outside at the same time. Students will only have outside recess three days a week, the rest of the week, students will have recess in the classroom. Students can each bring one ball, toy or object from home that is marked with their name.  Students must play with their own toy and can not share.  (Throwing a basketball or football back-n-forth from student to student is prohibited, however kicking a ball back-n-forth is allowed).

Specialist Time

12:50-1:40 – Students will line up under social distancing guidelines and walk to specialist through the designated hallways and stairways.  Upon entering the specialist classroom, all students will wash their hands. At the end of specialist time, all students will be required to use antibacterial wipes to wipe down their space in preparation for the next class.

Sanitize Time and Staggered Dismissal

1:40-2:15 – In preparation for dismissal, all students will be required to wipe down their spaces using antibacterial wipes.  Once sanitized, all students will be allowed to secure their backpack. Classes will be dismissed in a staggered approach to limit the amount of time students and staff are congregating in the hallways together. Parents whom are picking up their students after school will have to wait in a designated pick-up zone.

 Again, this is one teacher’s unsubstantiated opinion of a typical school schedule in the fall of 2020. Keep in mind, these ideas are being discussed among different school administrations.  I am also a parent of a teenaged boy and a pre-teen girl, and as such, we have to keep an open mind of what “the new normal” will look like come September.

Allen Reitz is a Full Inclusion Public School Teacher – 4th Grade

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.