Students, Staff Unite Together To Find New Normal

Student+Kali+Lewis+has+been+working+on+making+DIY+masks+at+home.+%0A%0A-+courtesy+photo

Student Kali Lewis has been working on making DIY masks at home. – courtesy photo

Ruth Turner, Clarion news editor

      As coronavirus sweeps the globe, schools, businesses, and organizations do their best to prevent the infection from spreading. Quarantines are put into effect, and schools close. Boredom sets in, but loneliness quickly follows. Teachers struggle with their inability to see their students, and students struggle with the lack of a schedule. Since March 23, school has been conducted out of homes because of state Stay At Home Orders issued.   

    “I miss the structure of physical school, with bell schedules and lesson plans and time slots between classes and during lunch to take breaks from academics. The face to face interactions with my teachers really helped me to understand the content, and without that resource some of the material is harder to grasp. Mostly though, I miss being able to see my friends and have a change of scenery every day,”  junior Loralei Miller  said. 

     Spanish teacher Yahir Ordonez, economics teacher Robin Foster, and physics teacher Fernando Hinojosa agree that seeing students every day and being able to teach on a personal level makes traditional schooling superior to electronic classwork. However, all three conceded that there were benefits to homeschool. 

     “I think for some students who work or have family commitments this is a good option for them.  Colleges offer lots of online classes that are built for students who need flexible class time.  Going forward, I think the students need to have the expectations of online classes explained to them. We were on Spring Break when all of this happened, so we really didn’t have a chance to explain to students nor show them how all of this technology works. Some students have no internet, limited data plans or have to share technology with other siblings so this complicates the learning process,” said Foster. 

     While staff is working with students the best they can to work together, and students are doing school work form home, there are still active students like sophomore Abby Goolsby find it difficult to be stuck at home with little to do. 

     “I miss getting to see my friends and having my usual routine. I prefer regular school, because it gets me out of my house and I can still do my activities like band and hockey,” Goolsby said.

      English teacher Michelle Harrold said that we are lucky to have technology that allows students and teachers to communicate and get information across, “but not near as much as they need. The teacher in me can’t help but think of how far behind this pandemic is setting everyone back. But, in the end, is that more important than making sure our kids are okay and not overwhelmed by school when they are dealing with this virus and all the things it entails? Definitely not,” Harrold said. 

      Counselor Robin McCann said that the best thing students and teachers can do is to have a flexible schedule that they try to follow during the week for the sake of normalcy. They shouldn’t be too hard on themselves if they mess the schedule up or may need to change it around at times. It is always good to have some sort of routine in the week in an effort to be productive. It is good to know what our expectations are and what to expect throughout our day. If we don’t have any type of schedule, it is hard to know where to begin and we can get overwhelmed. 

    “It is so important for teachers and students to know that they are valued. In a time like this, we value and appreciate every teacher and every student that is doing their best to try and find some normalcy. Stay flexible and keep your expectations for yourself realistic. You don’t have to be perfect. Just be human with compassion and grace,” McCann said. 

Student Gabriela Dantzman showcases her new Work From Home Station, where all the school magic will happen until the end of May. -Courtesy photo
Student Trystan Minter is proud of his of his garden he has been working on since being home. -courtesy photo