Through the Looking Glass: Reflections on Learning During and After the Pandemic
By Jamie Karagatsoulis, Director,
Early Childhood Center at MPSI
The last few years have marked perhaps the most turbulent times in our society and like many throughout the state, the country and the world, we have all felt the impact of the global pandemic. During the 2020-2021 school year, our Early Childhood Center (ECC) experienced many changes including switching back and forth from in-person to virtual learning due to university mandates. Despite the uncertainty at the time, the ECC students and staff showed resiliency and creativity during virtual learning.
During the 2021-2022 school year, we again continued to battle the effects of the pandemic and faced a period of time in January, where for safety and health reasons we were again required to switch to virtual learning. During this period of virtual learning, ECC staff participated in daily Zoom calls with students and families from their homes. During these calls, students shared their work by holding up their pictures to the screen so staff could take screenshots to document the learning. Families were very supportive and set up spaces in their homes for their children to use a computer, tablet or phone to participate in our daily call.
In February 2022 we returned to in-person school and began the process of acclimating children to being in a classroom setting yet again. Children and staff continued to wear masks (as the university mandated) and we continued our virtual relationship with families, meeting via Zoom for parent-teacher conferences and home visits. In the spring of 2022, we were lucky enough to take our first in-person field trip since the start of the pandemic. We visited a long-running favorite: the Real Life Farm in Canton, Michigan. This was a wonderful way for the children and families to experience life on a farm, including milking a cow, riding a horse and feeding baby sheep and goats.
We were able to finish the school year with an outdoor family celebration party and although smaller than the events of the past, the party represented the first time many parents could participate in-person in their child's learning on school grounds.
Reflecting back on this difficult and unusual pandemic period brings great sadness and great joy. Sadness that so much social development was lost for children and families globally and joy at the resilience displayed by the children and staff. Despite the many challenges faced, learning found a way, friendship found a way, and ultimately lessons were learned that we will all carry with us for the rest of our lives.
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute Report 2021/2022
Editor : Cheryl Deep
Designer: Catherine Blasio