Encouraging start to normal school year

If we can take the atmosphere at Billerica’s Kennedy Elementary School as any barometer, the return of the state’s students in grades 1-4 to the classroom Monday passed the test.

April 5 marked the deadline for the majority of Massachusetts public elementary schools to resume full-time, in-person learning, except for those students who specifically opted to remain in remote instruction. State officials indicated that

300,000 Bay State students reported to 930 elementary schools.

While the decision to return sparked some criticism from those worried about potential spread of the coronavirus, primarily teachers unions, school administrators and parents in Billerica told the newspaper they were thrilled about the transition, saying that at-home schooling has caused multiple issues for parents and children alike.

“It’s been challenging to try to keep them on-task when they’re at home; they just want to play and they’re not in the same mindset when they’re at school,” said resident Melissa Cote, who stopped working to look after her twin 6-year-olds Matthew and Alex while they learned remotely.

While Superintendent of Billerica Public Schools

Tim Piwowar said he also worries that bringing back all the students could cause COVID-19 to spread, he still believes the benefits outweigh the risks.

“We know that kids need this level of connection to their peers in order to thrive, so that’s really the purpose behind bringing kids back right now.”

A seamless transition one day doesn’t make, but par

Pool testing has shown minimal exposure to this virus in a classroom setting, which indicates students can benefit from face-to-face instruction in a proven healthy surrounding.

ents who’d been torn between keeping their children engaged at home while trying simultaneously to work remotely should be encouraged by the reaction of these Billerica parents and educators. Pool testing has shown minimal exposure to this virus in a classroom setting, which indicates students can benefit from face-to-face instruction in a proven healthy surrounding.

Some wrinkles — including how teachers cope with imparting classroom and remote instruction at the same time — will take a while to iron out, but overall, removing children from the social isolation of virtual homeschooling can only be viewed as a positive. The experience of these elementary students will serve as a vital learning tool to be utilized when middleand high-school grades return to in-person learning later this month.