MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) teachers were back in class Monday preparing for the arrival of students on Tuesday after the Minneapolis teachers union accepted the school district's latest contract deal on Sunday, following 15 days of missed instruction.
To make up for the lost time, school officials and union members agreed to extend the school year from June 10 to June 24, while also tacking on an extra 42 minutes to each school day starting April 11.
The extension is not expected to impact graduation dates, according to a release put out by MPS on Friday.
"Holding graduations harmless was important, as is recognizing that schools will have to work with families with already scheduled plans," the district said. "Seniors still need to complete their coursework to graduate, but can work with their principals and counselors if already scheduled plans mean they can’t attend school during the extended year."
MPS says it is considering distance learning as an option for students and families for the extended portion of the school semester.
But, while we're throwing around hard dates and numbers it is important to take a step back and recognize the psychological toll the pandemic has already taken on kids' mental health.
Besides the weeks-long strike, COVID was also responsible for disrupting two years of learning.
That, St. Thomas teacher education professor Dr. Muffet Trout says, needs to be recognized, along with the emotions it created — when students ultimately return to class Tuesday.
"If that's ignored, and the stress level stays high, learning is really not going to happen," she said.
Dr. Muffet says remembering the three Rs will also help.
- Relationships
- Routines
- Resiliency
First, relationships.
Supportive ones interrupt stress before it becomes toxic.
Second, build a routine.
It's ok to sometimes operate on auto-pilot.
And third, resiliency.
"I think resilience is an aspect for all humans, but we can't say it's the only aspect," she says
Mentors and local teachers tell us they'll encourage students to join an extracurricular, like a sport, along with setting individual academic goals. They also said they'll place students into small groups based on their academic needs.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: