To the editor:

Barrington is our hometown choice for many wonderful reasons; at the top of the list was the reputation for stellar education.

We were so excited for Peter to start kindergarten this fall and like many families we struggled with the in-person vs. distance learning decision.

Both my husband and I have demanding professional schedules and the thought of balancing that with a 5- and 3-year-old at home overwhelmed us. We were also worried that he would miss something by staying home, or have difficulty wearing a mask all day, but we made the decision to send him. He started at Sowams Elementary with a masked smile in September.

I write this letter to my neighbors in recognition of the demanding job our educators have and in gratitude for the incredible job they are doing. I am very impressed.

For most children, their kindergarten teacher builds the foundation of their formal education; the bedrock for which each subsequent year builds. The kindergarten classroom is charged with the very important task of making learning fun, engaging, and meaningful so that our children remain ready and excited to learn each year. This is a demanding profession without the challenges of a global pandemic.

It takes special skill to be a kindergarten teacher: incredible patience, clear enunciation, careful planning, creativity to develop memorable ways to learn, differentiated instruction on the fly. It takes a special person; someone who can create excitement while keeping order, who knows how and when to use a singing voice and despite personal, worldly, or other chaos, maintains a positive attitude.

Mrs. Howard has far exceeded any expectation I had for Peter’s kindergarten experience. I know he has a great day when he runs with a smile at pick-up and is happy to practice his math when he is home. Every day he is growing and sharing all that is new and fun in class with the family. We are thrilled. This past month, due to potential COVID-19 exposure from my husband’s job, Peter had to switch to distance learning. This gave me real insight into just how hard our teachers and administration are working to ensure that our kids still get that stellar education.

Thank you to Mrs. Howard. She is dedicated to all of her learners. She is prepared, engaged, and inclusive. Mrs. Howard goes above and beyond. She came twice to my home to drop off a bag with all of the coming day’s materials so that Peter could interact as he would if he were in class. He has the opportunity to join Zoom multiple times during the day so that he is involved in the lesson, seeing his classmates and not missing a beat. The technology is amazing too! Thank you to Mrs. Coughlin, Mrs. Greene, Mr. Vadnais, Ms. Gusetti and Mr. Miller as well for keeping Peter engaged for S.T.E.A.M, library, music, art and P.E.!

Thank you, Mrs. Howard, and all Barrington educators, sincerely. A huge shout out to the neighbors who have been balancing at-home instruction while working at home too, you all are superstars – Cheers!

In gratitude,

The Berard Family

Barrington