The Crier Wants to Know: how did you feel about going back to remote learning?

On November 13th, the staff and students of Conant received an email saying that we all will be going back to attending classes remotely until December 4th instead of continuing the hybrid plan. With this sudden change in plans, the Crier spoke with staff and students regarding their reactions to the information. 

Matthew O’Brien ‘24 (no photo)

“At first I was kind of sad because I liked going into school and I got more work done at school but I kinda knew it was going to happen because all the other schools were closing down. I was (unsurprised) because when I heard the cases were going up I thought Conant would close soon too. I don’t think it is affecting my future too much but I feel I am not working as hard when I am home. I don’t know when we are going back to school, but I would rather be in school to work harder and see old friends and make new ones.”

Provided by Aahana Goswami

Aahana Goswami ‘23

“I wasn’t very surprised if I am going to be honest. Especially since election week, everyone had been out more causing more people to contract the virus. I was prepared for this decision, since I mainly didn’t go to school when hybrid was an option. But I believe that the most unprepared out of this whole situation would probably be the teachers. Since they have to make a lot of executive decisions that have to make the students safe. It had made it a whole lot harder. I am very unfocused and I can’t learn whatever the teacher is teaching us. It has been very frustrating and online school almost feels optional since you aren’t going anywhere. There is a lack of professionalism. I guess my final thoughts are that I agree with the decision to go back to remote, but they have to come up with a different solution to kids failing many of their classes because of being online. More and more students and struggling with keeping their grades as well go about their normal day. If we can solve this problem, it will relieve a lot of students from stress.”

Isaac Hanley ‘22 (no photo)

“When I first heard the announcement that we were fully going back to remote learning I was upset but not surprised. I knew that it was going to happen at some point and the cases are at an all time high right now so the best option is for everyone to stay home and socially distance. Yes I was prepared for this decision but I was really hoping that it wouldn’t happen because being back in school helps kids focus more on the content they are trying to learn. Also for sports it was tough seeing your season being put in jeopardy not having any idea on when or if you are going to be able to play.  I think it is affecting our futures because of all the online learning everyone is learning and after they complete the test for the unit they just forget all of the content they were taught because there are no finals so they feel there is no need to retain the information. I hope that we will be able to return to school on the set date because it is a lot easier to learn in person at school than it is virtually.”

Provided by Elianela Francia Marvez

Elianela Francia Marvez (Esther Francia) ‘21

“I felt very disappointed and sad. I prefer going to school. No, of course I wasn’t (prepared). I was getting very comfortable about going to school again. It affects my future schooling because it will make me more tired than usual with all the Zoom meetings that I have to attend, plus the amount of homework that I received. When I was going in person, it was better for my understanding and comprehension for each class. I got less tired, so I could do my homework just fine. I would prefer going to school, but I also understand that this is the best decision that we can deal with for the sake of our health.”

Provided by Allison Bauch

Allison Bauch, Calculus, Geometry, and Algebra II Teacher

“I was initially in shock because I did not think it was coming as soon as it did. I figured it was in the near future but did not know it was going to be that Friday. I think that one thing District 211 did very well was prepare the students and teachers for any scenario. Because we started the year remotely and transitioned pretty smoothly to hybrid, I definitely felt prepared to go remote again. It felt like a seamless transition and I know the administration and staff worked hard at making sure that would happen. As a teacher, I would say that going fully remote a second time definitely affects my perspective on teaching. I have learned the importance of being flexible, learning to adapt, and finding new ways to connect with my students which I hope to continue in my teaching career. I hope that everyone stays safe and is able to find ways to bring joy to their life. We will get through this and we must remember, we are stronger together.”

okulanis5719@students.d211.org'

Jamie Okulanis

Jamie Okulanis is an Opinions Editor and a Junior at Conant. This is her second year on the Crier Staff. At Conant, Jamie is a part of PRIDE. Outside of Conant, she enjoys reading and watching new shows on Netflix.

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