# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CMsOJW6FwEh
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20303891-edutopia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/b4da569666.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-03-21T18:32:26.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

The return to classrooms after months of remote learning is bound to bring up a range of emotions for young children, writes first-grade teacher Alissa Alteri Shea. ⁣
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To ease the transition, “reach out to each child and meet them where they are emotionally—whether that’s excited and ready to jump in, hesitant, or even fearful,” Shea writes. ⁣
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Here are some of her tips for creating routines and a sense of safety and community in the early grades—albeit mid-year.⁣
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📌  Make Safety Fun: Encourage students to follow safety protocols like handwashing and mask wearing with kid-friendly language. Upon arrival, for example, ask children to check that their “superhero masks” are on securely. When walking in hallways, you no longer have students, but a class full of birds who “spread their wings [and] fly” to maintain a safe distance from others. ⁣
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📌 Offer Flexible Seating: Introduce a variety of seating options to incentivize students to sit for longer stretches of time in assigned, safely distanced spots. Try “bouncy balls, wiggle seats, yoga mats, small rockers, and seating cushions” to give kids enticing options that allow for a bit of movement. ⁣
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📌 Build Connections: Students may feel anxious and struggle to focus on academics. Shea suggests taking a playful approach: “Every day, my morning meeting features an appearance by our turtle stuffie, Twiggles, who has been in the class all year, including during remote learning,” she says. Twiggles asks kids questions like, “How are you feeling?” and “I’ve never played in the snow, what should I wear?” It’s a low-key way to get kids talking and laughing, feeling “valued and heard,” Shea writes. ⁣
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📌 Adjust Expectations: Though there’s limited time for activities and curriculum projects, this is far from a lost year: learning and growth is still happening. Remember that “we are constantly discovering new ways to accomplish as much as we can with the children this year, and the rest can wait,” Shea advises. ⁣
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Link in bio.⁣

#ClassroomManagement #BackToSchool #HybridLearning

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## Tags

hybridlearning, classroommanagement, backtoschool

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