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Connecticut teachers navigating challenges students face back in the classroom

From hiring tutors to making a "Zen Den," educators in Newington are doing what they can to address pandemic pressures and setbacks students may be experiencing.

NEWINGTON, Conn. — Public school or private, Connecticut students have been saying they’re finding challenges with returning to COVID-era classrooms full-time. 

“I forgot how real school actually was because I was online for most of the year,” said Kaitlin Bertolami, a 7th grader at St. Paul School in Kensington.

“It is a lot of school work because they are trying to catch everything up that you missed in the last year,” added Danny Biesczzad, a 7th grader at Martin Kellogg Middle School in Newington.

According to the Connecticut Department of Education, students in grades 5 to 8 who learned remotely last year scored substantially lower in math and lower in English than they did two years prior. Third-grade English and Math scores also dropped by double digits when looking at students who learned from home last year to those in person during the 2018-2019 school year.  

“I really see a difference when I see the students interacting in person, they are having a tough time engaging in conversation and having those discussions,” said Martin Kellogg technology teacher Lori Baylock.

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Private schools are facing challenges too.  

“There are some students who have not been in school in 18 months. Some of our primary students have never been in a school setting,” said St. Paul kindergarten teacher, Karen Lavoie.

 “I have three children this year that had never been to preschool before, so they had never been to school, they are 5 turning 6 and they have never had any classroom experience,” Lavoie added.  

That means starting from scratch on things like fine motor skills.  

“Children know how to use a computer, they know how to use their parents' tablets or iPhones and they can swipe really well, but holding a pencil, a crayon, a marker; some children it was almost like a foreign object to them,” said Lavoie.

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The principal of St. Paul's, Jill Conaway, has guided two schools through the pandemic in the last two years. The problems she said are the same. Some students soared through remote learning and others struggled, especially in math.  

“I have hired three tutors for math and reading that come throughout the week for every grade level, kindergarten to eighth grade, to make sure that those students who are behind are catching up to everyone else in their classroom,” said Conaway.  

Student behavior is raising red flags too. New Britain High School abruptly returned to remote learning in September after reports of fighting and vandalism. In Hartford, one principal hit the pause button, reteaching students schoolwide how to get a teacher's attention without outbursts and inappropriate behavior. The Martin Kellogg Middle School in Newington is taking action too.  

 “Since the pandemic, we have really noticed a large uptick in anxiety, and behavior regulation in our students,” said Martin Kellogg School Psychologist, Laura Flowers. 

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The school’s counseling team has opened up a new “Zen Den.”  

Flowers said it’s an outlet for students to address pandemic pressures.

“They are really needing to find a space where they can come and have a quiet moment of calm and find an item in here that might help them regulate themselves. And the goal is to get them back into the classroom so they can be successful academically,” said Flowers.  

Students are recommended for the supervised space or can seek it out on their own.

 “It is very peaceful, and if you are having a stressful day, you can invite your friends, and there are lots of different things to do down here,” said Martin Kellogg 7th grader Zofia Cygan. 

Different schools with different approaches to getting those who may be struggling back on track.

 “I think is different student by student, but I think if we give them the tools and the resources, I am hoping by the end of this year when we have the IOWAs again that those test scores that were lower here in the fall will be back up to grade level,” said Conaway.

Here are some tutoring resources families can use to help their children:

Kumon

Care.com  

Khan Academy

Keith McGilvery is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at kmcgilvery@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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