Covid Flips Classroom Routines

A West Rock charter school that prides itself on hands-on, outdoors learning has had to ​“flip the classroom,” so to speak, during the Covid-19 pandemic — forcing teachers to build up online curricula and reserve virtual class time for checking in with students, and forcing students to adapt to a new educational life physically removed from their peers.

That school is Common Ground High School, which has outdoor classes, a working farm and write-your-own play drama classes.

With the spread of Covid-19, the normally hands-on charter school near West Rock has needed to adopt an online curriculum where teachers spend class time checking in with students about lessons they do on their own.

Meanwhile, the virus has upended many students’ lives as they worry about sick relatives or job losses in their families.

During interviews with the Independent this week about this new age of online learning, two Common Ground teachers and one student stressed that the school has been able to carry over at least one defining characteristic from before the pandemic: a strong sense of community.

“When difficult things happen, you see students looking out for each other and teachers and staff members calling families. It feels a little more palpable when things get tricky,” Common Ground math and music teacher Evan Green told the Independent Thursday.

Adapting To School Life Online

Common Ground Junior Darlenne Cazarin said that social distancing and other Covid-19 safety measures have eliminated many of the parts of school she likes best.

She recalled, before the pandemic, working in teams in math class to try to answer a problem correctly.

She was excited to work on a class project to measure pollution by comparing indoor and outdoor air quality, before school closures canceled the experiment.

“Being home all day is kind of making me less motivated to do the work. I think that I can do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, I think that I can do it the next day,” Cazarin said.

Rather than spending 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Common Ground’s campus on Springside Avenue, Cazarin attends four classes a day electronically for 20 minutes each.

On Thursday, Cazarin’s teachers talked about new expectations during the pandemic. The exams for her AP classes are now reduced to two essay-type questions, rather than the larger format Cazarin has been studying for all year, one teacher reported.

Cazarin was going to take the SAT this spring as well. Because the test has been canceled, her junior seminar teacher has shifted from test prep to preparing for the financial concerns of adult life like loans, credit cards and car payments, she said. She continues to prepare for the SAT on her own using Khan Academy.

“If I have a question, I’m going to have to ask the computer,” she joked. ​“I feel like we’re not getting the same experience, but it’s fine.”

Cazarin said that she is trying to focus less on all of these thoughts about the future — Which college should she go to? Should she try a career in biology, engineering or journalism? — and think more about drinking enough water, exercising regularly and spending time with her family.

“I’m taking this time to really focus on my health, which I didn’t allow myself to do in school. I just focused on not getting left behind,” Cazarin said.

Home Deliveries

Cazarin said was shocked to hear after New Haven Public Schools closed in mid-March that Common Ground would deliver fresh produce to her doorstep every Wednesday from the school’s farm.

The deliveries help her family stretch their savings since her father was temporarily laid off from his machine operating job due to Covid-19, she told the Independent by phone Thursday.

“I remember texting the farmers who organized my boxes: ​‘Thank you so much. My family appreciates it. I bet other families appreciate it too,’” she said.

This Wednesday, one box included fresh eggs, red peppers, chives, spinach, kale and potatoes, Cazarin said. The other held non-perishables like chips and milk bottles.

Cazarin said that she is grateful her parents do not need to go to the grocery store, where they could potentially catch Covid-19. She described the importance of people her age staying in as well, so they do not spread the disease to others.

“Walking Forward With Our Eyes Closed”

From a teacher’s perspective, Green said he has fallen asleep at dawn two nights in a row as he works to translate his interactive math lessons into something students can do on their own.

Green posts videos and activities for students to do on their own time. During the 20 minutes of schedule class time, he checks in with students. Then students can stay online for another 40 minutes to work independently and ask questions if they do not have other commitments. Each afternoon, teachers reserve time for office hours and extra tutoring sessions.

Green said that he has not yet figured out how to assess whether students have learned enough advance to the next year of math.

“Sometimes I feel like we’re walking forward with our eyes closed and our hands out,” he said.

The highlight of Green’s week was one student who learned better in the distance learning setting than she has on campus, where student drama distracts her. He saw her in her element as she completed the independent work, he said.

Cats On Zoom

Science teacher Emily Schmidt said she has been grateful to have a routine despite the pandemic raging outside. Knowing that her students are waiting for her online at 9 a.m. keeps her on a schedule, she said.

And nearly all of her students are online. Unlike schools across the country struggling to ensure equal access to technology, Common Ground had already distributed Chromebooks to students in their first days as freshmen at the charter school. Schmidt said that she has only lost touch with one out of her 100 students, thanks to the technology that was already in place.

Schmidt focuses on the essentials with her classes, so students do not feel overwhelmed in the context of so much changing in their lives. During Thursday’s chemistry classes, she focused on the law of conservation of matter.

“It’s been fun on Zoom. My cat will jump up, and kids will get their cats,” Schmidt said.

Green works from home with his two children. He has found negotiating which family member is working when challenging — this has contributed to his all-nighters. Generally, he feels fortunate to have lunch with his children every day and be able to walk outside with them, he said.

“My sister is cramped in a tiny apartment in New York and is a healthcare professional. I’m around my family all the time,” he said.