I corresponded with the principal of Wellington Elementary School, Dr. Paisner-Roffman, to find out how this break has affected her and her community and how she plans to help her students during and after the break. 

Dr. Paisner-Roffman, principal of Wellington Elementary School answered my 5 questions and helped me connect with 4 Wellington teachers (Mr. Tenhor, Mrs. Bell, Ms. Vahedi and Ms. Ebdon) to get their thoughts.  I asked her the following 5 Questions and got the following answers. 

Question 1.  How does the break affect your community?

Dr. Paisner first noted that the break is hard but the community is staying strong and families are supporting one another to help us get through this challenging time.

Question 2.  How does the break affect you as a person?

Dr. Paisner said that she was sad to not see her family and extended family or her students but she was making up for it by chatting online and that those chats really nourished her and made her happy. 

Question 3.  How does the break affect your plans for the rest of the year?

Dr. Paisner’s response to this question was that she wasn’t positive about what would happen but she knew that the staff and students would be flexible and would make the changes necessary to maximize her students’ learning. 

Question 4.  How do you plan to help your students get back to a regular routine after the break?

Dr. Paisner’s ideas on this question  include that her students would have to remember how traditional school works, mend relationships with friends and ease back into learning. 

Question 5.   Do you have any words of advice for students during the break?

Dr. Paisner’s  final answer was that everyone should “remember to play, to relax, and to move. Try to spread out your academic activities throughout the day so that you also have a chance to draw, create, act, sing, and run.  Find ways from a distance to connect with friends and families so that you can maintain your relationships with them. Finally, try to get lost in a good book. This is a good chance to read a lot!”

Now here is the message from your teachers: Since being home, I’ve been working very hard to try and stay active! I have been going on walks every day around my neighborhood. It is nice and quiet, and I’m able to wave to neighbors and friends from across the street. I have been staying in touch with lots of friends and family virtually. I’ve also been hard at work trying to organize resources and get things together for the students and families in my class. I miss them so much! I know how important it is that we stay home during this time, to help keep everyone (and ourselves) safe and healthy. 

I would like to take this time to thank Dr. Paisner for her helpful connection and how willingly she answered getting back to me in the first couple hours. Thank You Dr. Paisner.