Back to school reimagined

The usual signs of fall are all around us — brightly colored leaves, geese honking overhead and chilly mornings — but ask any parent or teacher and you’ll learn that this is far from a typical October.

Instead of the predictable school day routine that parents counted on, many families in this “Back to School” season are scrambling to create a schedule and program that meets their needs. Here in Newfield, where the school year began about a month ago, families are finding creative solutions with the help of the local district and their neighbors.

The Claar, Hulbert and DeOlden families joined together and pooled resources to form their virtual one-room schoolhouse, dubbed the Trinity Tree Study Space. With seven students ranging from second to 11th grade, it is a balancing act that seems to be working, for now.

“Our group is using the Newfield District’s remote schooling option,” Shana Claar said. “By chance, all the names are at the beginning of the alphabet, so the kids follow the same schedule.”

This remote learning takes place in a cabin on the Claar property that has been repurposed as a schoolhouse. Some of the parents are able to work from home, allowing them to supervise as needed.

“The timing worked out so that the kids are pretty much self-sufficient for the mornings,” Claar said. “Chyan [Hulbert] and I can get our own work done while they’re engaged with their classes. In the afternoon, we hired someone who helps them connect for their encore classes, provides some tutoring and even does some enrichment activities.”

While it may sound idyllic, the setup required a lot of coordination and cooperation. The three families formed a pod way back in March so as not to feel so isolated during the pandemic. The friends all agreed not to interact with people outside the bubble, to always wear masks in public and to have groceries delivered — in short, to take whatever precautions were necessary.

“We’re still watching the numbers and managing risk,” Claar said. “We all take the responsibility for the safety of each other’s families very seriously.”

When it came time to make a choice about schooling, the group sat down to discuss the options.

“As community members, we have a responsibility to not put more pressure on the school system,” Claar said. “By keeping our kids home, the kids who can’t stay out of the classroom are safer. Our employers have been very flexible with letting us work from here, and we know that’s not possible for everyone.”

With that in mind, the group decided on the remote option and set about creating the study space. While the cabin itself already existed (with electricity and Wi-Fi), all three families contributed items to make it work as a school.

“The biggest expense was hiring someone every afternoon, but we quickly learned it was a necessity,” Claar said. “We do get some financial help with that through an employee assistance program.”

There have been challenges, particularly with technology and virtual learning. Claar would like to see a teacher at each grade level dedicated to the virtual students.

“Right now, the teachers are working with students in the classroom while the virtual kids are basically observers,” Claar said. “The school’s trying to work through these issues, so I hope it works itself out.”

She’d also like to see things go back to normal, eventually.

“Personally, I love my kids going to public school,” Claar said. “They miss their friends and their after-school activities. Getting them back to that is definitely my goal.”

Some students were hoping for that return to normality in September but found in-person schooling not quite what they expected. Kelly O’Leary Blake reported that her granddaughter has just two other students in one of her high school classes and four in another. The lunchroom, usually bustling with students and noisy with conversation and laughter, is eerily quiet.

“We’re thinking about switching her to remote learning,” Blake said. “She wanted to go back but not like this.”
Shelly Caveney has a full-time job, a 7-year-old daughter and a mother who is dealing with health issues. She faces some tough decisions with no perfect options available.

“My husband and I work full time. Our daughter, who’s in second grade, goes to school in the mornings,” Caveney said. “The other caregiver in the family is my mother, who is over 65 and immunocompromised.”

Caveney’s mother has stage 3 multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. While having grandma help with childcare has been ideal in the past, the risk of exposure is now an obvious concern.

“I started my job at Caroline Elementary School in March, two weeks before the schools shut down,” Caveney said. “Now that I’m back full time, my boss has been very supportive and allowed me to work from home in the mornings and bring my daughter to the office with me in the afternoon.”

Caveney knows that changes with students returning to Caroline this month.

“I’ve been struggling with this decision all summer,” Caveney said. “My choices are to have my mother provide childcare and potentially put her at risk, take Family Medical Leave at reduced pay or quit my job.”

The lack of affordable childcare in Newfield makes things particularly challenging, and the After School Program is no longer being offered.

“I haven’t fully decided yet, but I’m leaning toward the first option. I just pray that my mother will not be exposed,” Caveney said. “I thought about going virtual, but my mother’s inexperience with technology would make it difficult.”

Of course, remote encore classes and virtual assignments still require the use of technology, which Caveney sees as having both advantages and disadvantages.

“I’ve enjoyed being able to tune into my daughter’s classes and participate more in her education,” Caveney said. “Maybe some classes could continue that way in the future.”

Those possibilities don’t come without a cost, however. Resources necessary to make remote education accessible for everyone have to come from somewhere.

“When we tried to sign in, our computer didn’t work,” Caveney said. “I know the school is struggling to get enough laptops to go around. I don’t want to take a computer away from a less fortunate family, so I took money out of my savings to purchase one.”

Having seen the situation as both a parent and a school employee, Caveney knows the Newfield Central School District is doing its best. However, she would’ve liked to see more open dialog with the district prior to decisions being made about schedules and childcare.

“I would love to see full-day instruction as an option, but I understand the challenges,” Caveney said.

In fact, all the parents interviewed praised Newfield’s schools and the community while acknowledging that things aren’t perfect. Heather Scott, mother of a third-grader and a 4-year-old, expressed disappointment that pre-K was canceled this year but also pride in the way Newfielders support each other.

“I’ve seen people online offering everything from free laptops and tech support to babysitting services,” Scott said. “That’s the kind of community I want to live in.”