Teachers and staff from Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning School cannot see each other or their preschoolers in person, so they created a virtual dance party to boost their spirits and get close to a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy.
Staff from around the Goffe Street preschool filmed themselves dancing to Stevie S’s “Hold Ya Head.” The song is a favorite at the school and students perform it every year, according to Mayo Principal Monique Brunson. Music teacher Jennifer Chan edited together the video and released it to staff and parents Tuesday night.
“We wanted to give our students the sense that not everything has changed. The way we love them — nothing can change that,” Brunson said.
Dr. Mayo School closed with all New Haven public schools in mid-March to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
When Brunson realized the closures would last beyond a few weeks, she asked staff to think about ways to continue to socialize and be with one another during the crisis.
Each teacher has offered his or her own strengths.
The school’s art teacher plans to host a paint-and-sip event and the gym teacher is planning a virtual workout. Chan decided she would create a dance party.
YouTube
Mayo music teacher Jennifer Chan.
Administrators, instructional coaches, teachers, teaching assistants and part-timers contributed to the video. Some danced with their children; some held their pets and bopped in time to the tune.
Brunson waved from her own home, despite her discomfort with being filmed.
“If I can come out of my comfort zone, you can. Let’s have fun,” she told her coworkers.
It did turn out to be fun, she admitted.
When Stevie S. sings, “Grab your bottom,” Assistant Principal Karen Carazo’s cat, Max, makes an appearance.
In non-pandemic times, the Dr. Mayo School building on Goffe Street hosts around 500 3 and 4‑year-olds. These days, each student learns from their own home.
Teachers hold morning meetings and read-alouds with their students and check in with families daily. They also provide short activities, like sorting shoes or planting beans, that children can do with their parents at home. One teacher filmed a handwashing video to show her students the right technique.
“Our little ones ask us, ‘Why am I not going to school?’ They may not understand fully what is taking place in the world,” Brunson said. “By seeing us, that feels more normal for them.”
“We Really Miss Our Children”
Assistant teacher Paola Suero-Lora and her pre-K daughter Anneliese Maldonado-Suero.
Brunson said that she emphasizes that staff needs to provide access to learning while staying aware of what each family is going through.
“We have a lot of parents who work in the healthcare industry. They’re working long hours. We can’t expect them to sit with students and help them complete these activities,” she said.
One preschooler has even come down with Covid-19, Brunson said. His fever has passed and he is feeling better aside from a few other Covid symptoms, she said.
Mayo staff plans to drop off a care package at his home with items his mother requested on Thursday.
Mayo Principal Monique Brunson.
Staying in daily contact over Zoom with her coworkers helps Brunson take care of herself too. She said that she is still adjusting to being a “stay-at-home, working mom,” where she does not have the walls of a school building to divide her work and home life.
“The more normal things are, the better. It doesn’t feel normal to not be able to see the staff and children. These meetings help, where I get to see the staff members’ faces and we can exchange ideas,” she said.
All of the instructors are sharing a Google document with lesson plans and professional development materials. Brunson said this was partially to make sure the school is prepared if another Covid wave hits Connecticut in the future.
“We really miss our children. We can’t wait to see them,” Brunson said.