{"id":11063,"date":"2020-11-27T17:48:03","date_gmt":"2020-11-28T01:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11063"},"modified":"2020-11-27T17:48:03","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T01:48:03","slug":"crane-country-day-schools-flexible-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11063","title":{"rendered":"Crane Country Day School’s Flexible Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Crane<\/a>

Crane Country Day School’s Flexible Approach, originally published in Santa Barbara Independent on November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Montecito Campus Embraces Its\u00a0Outdoor Superpowers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a school administrator has always required\u00a0balancing the needs of families, staff, and students.\u00a0But in 2020, it\u2019s more like being a tightrope walker.\u00a0Very early on in the pandemic, Crane Country Day\u00a0School<\/a>\u2019s head of school and chief plate spinner, Joel Weiss<\/a>,
\ndecided that a dual approach (online and on-campus)\u00a0would make the most sense for his families \u2014 if, of course,\u00a0there was any way of pulling it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it was trying to be honest but also respectful\u00a0to the situations that every family really is unique,\u201d\u00a0said Weiss. \u201cThere are new rules every two weeks, and\u00a0it\u2019s just constantly changing. So having that two-pronged\u00a0approach, though it\u2019s exhausting to implement, at the\u00a0same time it\u2019s a really flexible approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crane\u2019s back-to-school plan organized each grade into\u00a0smaller groups for less exposure. For example, the 3rd\u00a0grade has 22 students: 18 on-campus students are split\u00a0into two cohorts of nine, each with their own teacher\u00a0and dedicated indoor and outdoor spaces. The other four\u00a0online students also have their own teacher, who is physically\u00a0with one of the two cohorts, making sure that they\u00a0still have a social connection with their
\nclassmates, and doing much of the same\u00a0work.<\/p>\n

That ability to use the outdoor classes\u00a0is what Weiss described as \u201cCrane\u2019s superpower
\nthat we wanted to maximize. That\u2019s\u00a0our strong suit.\u201d\u00a0Crane has always been an indoor\/outdoor\u00a0school, and Weiss worked closely\u00a0over the summer with Director of Development\u00a0Debbie Williams<\/a>, who took the\u00a0lead on designating and constructing 23
\nunique outdoor learning spaces. With\u00a0names like Pythagorean Patio, Morning\u00a0Meadow, and Laureates\u2019 Landing, they\u00a0are distributed across Crane\u2019s 12-acre\u00a0campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of it was training ourselves\u00a0to see teaching spaces where maybe prior\u00a0you saw utility spaces and nature spaces,\u201d said Weiss.\u00a0Each grade now has at least two indoor spaces and\u00a0outdoor spaces with fun layouts designed to deliver the\u00a0education program in a physically distanced, safe manner.\u00a0It even lets the kids relax a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have just dumped eight buckets of rules on these\u00a0kids,\u201d said Weiss. \u201cKids used to be kids. They were given\u00a0freedom to be wacky, and now it\u2019s like, \u2018Don\u2019t walk here;\u00a0walk there; don\u2019t touch your face; put the mask on; stay six\u00a0feet away,\u2019 and on and on and on. So much effort is going\u00a0into maintaining systems for safety that the outdoors is a\u00a0little bit of a chill time. We\u2019re trying to introduce a fun factor\u00a0to all of this that feels kid-centered and lighthearted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SB<\/a>

SB Independent Cover, Schools of Thought, November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a> on November 19, 2020. To read the section as it appeared in print, please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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