Baldwin Public Schools devise plan to help students develop social skills hampered by pandemic
BALDWIN, Long Island (WABC) -- With summer break coming to a close, kids are getting ready to head back to class, but as the calendar flips to September, some students still haven't turned the corner from 2020 and are struggling to catch up following the pandemic.
Educators say some kids are still showing developmental delays due to the isolations and shutdowns. So, what's being done to make sure they don't fall even more behind?
Andrea McDevitt knows all about the excitement surrounding a new school year, but the veteran elementary school teacher, now in her 18th year, is also keenly aware of the pandemic-related reality that the social development of children suffered while moms and dads worked. As a result, kids had to occupy themselves.
"There were kids excited to come back and then there were kids terrified to come back," said McDevitt, who teaches 4th grade. "Maybe they lost somebody at home. Maybe there were dealing with a lack of technology at home so they fell behind academically."
The issue of students who are developmentally behind is not unique to Baldwin or even Long Island. It is a nationwide concern, but Superintendent Dr. Shari Camhi has spearheaded a comprehensive effort to ensure the lack of social engagement does not hamper academic achievement in her district of 4,500 students.
"We want our kids interacting with each other," Camhi said. "One of the things that we are finding is that they don't know how to do that. And we are now in a position to teach our young people socialization skills which we've never had to teach before."
At the Meadow School, one of five elementary schools in Baldwin, redesigned classrooms encourage student collaboration. A professional learning lab helps teachers develop critical thinking. Students having trouble getting through the school day can find comfort in a center focused on academic and emotional wellness.
"If you don't know how to socialize or you haven't perfected your ability to socialize, it's really hard to have a difficult conversation," Camhi said.
Christy Sanacore designed her kindergarten classroom to specifically identify the developmental challenges faced by her students, that way she can tailor a solution to help the kids get back on track.
"Let's say I have a student who comes in the morning and repeatedly they are tired," Sanacore said. "They come in every single day - they are tired. OK. Now I'm noticing that pattern and I want to elaborate. I want to speak with the child and I want to see what is really going on behind that."
Parents have a role to play in all this too. Ordering children off social media and away from their cell phone also involves the parents doing the same.
If it's been a while since you've read a book to your son or your daughter or taken them outside for a game of backyard basketball, the time to re-establish that socialization is now.
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