Charlotte Beecher, Reporter
@Charlottebcour1
From wearing pajamas and switching tabs to go to class to now lugging a backpack and traveling the halls, students have transitioned from hybrid schedules to full in-person learning, and back again.
Although students and staff now get up before the sun everyday to rush to school and see classrooms full of peers, the full in-school experience is still not back to normal. New Covid-19 restrictions such as wearing masks, dividing hallways, and locking school doors until 7:10, has shaped a different kind of school experience to promote a safe and productive transition to in-person classes.
Many students are noticing a significant difference in their ability to focus and stay engaged after the transition from online to in-person classes. Nora Moley, a freshman at the highschool this year said, “It almost feels like work is optional because there isn’t that much enforcement online. But when you’re in school it’s easy for teachers to check your work and it feels a lot more structured,” she said.
Because students have not experienced full time in-person for eight months, when transitioning back to the classrooms many experienced a different outlook. Campbell McGurk, a freshman at the highschool this year said, “I prefer hybrid because I love seeing everyone at school but I also love waking up on Monday mornings and getting up two minutes before class starts.”
While some students said that the benefits of e-learning such as waking up later outweighed the consequences of not seeing everyone at school, others preferred in-person school. Several students found that e-learning provided a much different level of productivity and engagement. Avery Morawa, a current sophomore said, “I’m not able to move around or talk to anyone else when I’m in e-learning,” she said. “You’re just sitting there, you’re not stimulated, so it is very easy to get distracted or bored when you’re looking at a computer for seven hours a day.”
Although most students are back in the building now, there are still some students that chose to remain in full remote learning. Emily Bacon, a history teacher at the highschool said, “I’m a little worried now that kids are remote because there is only one or two in each class, if any. Those kids might feel a little more disconnected from the class socially and even from me, as their teacher.”
As many students transition back to in-person school teachers might notice a different engagement. “As a teacher it’s tough to look at a screen full of black boxes and have to try to engage the kids at home when I can’t even see them,” Ms. Bacon said. “It’s harder for me to really know when you’re at home on zoom if you’re actually paying attention. I can see you looking at the screen but maybe you’re doing something else, or you’re watching Netflix,”
Now that we are in school full time, following safety precautions is more important than ever to ensure that students are able to stay. In fact, full time in-school learning has created an improved environment for many teachers. “I think that teaching in-person has been better having everyone back because even if the class is a little louder, a little more rowdy, at least everybodies there and everyone’s getting instruction right in front of them instead of having to be at home on zoom,” Ms. Bacon said. “It’s more engaging in general to be in the classroom then be listening at home.”
