Despite concerns for health and inevitable difficulties, it seems that many students and teachers are planning to return in the fall, although a fair share are delaying their return.
“I was happy to hear we were going back because I knew it would help me pay more attention in class and it’ll be easier to receive help from teachers,” senior Marley Holston said.
Others felt quite differently.
“I don’t want to go back; I don’t see a point,” senior Alexa Seefeldt said. “Teachers will just teach the kids online because it’s harder for them. I’m also worried about going that long without eating. I know online will be easier for me.”
Seefeldt is considering returning to school second semester if they have more of an in-person model rather than hybrid. She feels like learning is harder virtually, but she also likes that tests are open-note.
Some students are enthusiastic for the new changes.
“I’m hopeful the return to school will go well,” senior Erica Schug said. “I feel like a lot of thought and preparation has gone into the return and making sure everything is safe. I think classes may continue to stay hybrid, but unless there is a huge health turn around or a vaccine, I cannot imagine us going back to school full time at full capacity.”
“I am excited to go back and see people I haven’t seen since last year,” senior Lily Holston said.
However, there are certainly potential problems.
“I’m nervous not everyone will follow the rules and stay safe,” Holston said.
“Although there are many precautions, one problem might be class sizes,” Schug said. ”If students are going back based on last name alphabetical order, I can imagine some classes will end up with an unequal distribution of kids. Another problem could be that teachers will struggle to pace school correctly. It’s important to remember that students haven’t been in a formal school setting for 7 months-we’re used to frequent breaks, we have shorter attention spans, and we’ve gotten used to having more time to do assignments.”
Nov. 16 is sure to be a much anticipated day for both the teachers and the students.
