On March 13, 2020, students left school to embark on what we thought would be a two week lockdown. Now, almost a year later, we are still unable to return to school. However, is making the effort to return to school in-person at this point worth it? Is spending hours on end planning a return to school, changing schedules, testing students and teachers and preparing lessons a good idea when it could all come crashing down after a couple of weeks?
Before students can return to school, the district must devise a schedule that would keep students and staff safe while still allowing for ample learning time. The school must then prove its safety to county health officials in order to gain a waiver allowing students to learn in person. The 2,000+ army of students and staff would need to be tested. The entire process would take months of hard work and dedication, all of which could be thrown away in a matter of days. Even if it did end up working out, it would only be a couple of months before school ends for the summer.
Students and teachers have worked hard to adjust to this online format and by returning to in person learning we would be sacrificing all of the effort we have made to adjust ourselves to this new learning style, essentially starting back at square one again.
When I interviewed a handful of SMHS students, the general consensus was that a return to school would be wasteful. “We’ve come so far, returning to in person learning would just throw it all away.” “The amount of time spent rushing to get us back would be better spent forming a safe and successful plan to bring students back next school year.” Other students argued that with the new strains being discovered, a return to school could be a potential disaster.
All things considered, I would rather not return to school. We’ve come so far and worked so hard to adapt to this new lifestyle, returning to in person learning would be jumping back to square one. The time and effort it would take from all parties involved just isn’t worth the potentially lethal result.