With the return to some in-person instruction, some Mason High School students cho0se to continue learning from home.
“I just think it really depends on the person. Some people are doing better online,” Mason senior Lauren Pekrul said. “That’s why I stayed online, because I thought I was more productive. And then I think a lot of people needed to be in person to really get a good education. So I guess it really depends on the person.”
Mason High School is beginning its third trimester with hybrid learning and the option for some students to continue taking classes only online if they choose.
Mason High School health and psychology teacher Andrew Chapin said, “I’m not the most tech-savvy person. So I’ve learned a lot in the last year. It was challenging to learn how to use Google Classroom, it was challenging to take everything that I’ve ever done in 17 years of teaching, and switch it to a digital method of teaching.”
The Mason School District is doing a hybrid model for instruction with half the students attending on two days of the week, the other half on two other days and everyone online on Wednesdays while the schools are cleaned.
Sophomore Claire Ramsey said that she enjoys being back at school. She believes it was a good decision and a good way for the students to get back into the habits of their studies.
While some students are returning to school, teachers are accommodating students who are remaining at home. Chapin has classes where he is both teaching students in person and by computer to kids who are home.
“I think a lot of people needed to be in person, so I guess it really depends on the person. I think just in class conversations. I haven’t really had any of those this year and that’s all because of just zoom,” Pekrul said.
While being online, Pekrul discovered she was able to spend more time by herself and take school at her own pace.
“It kind of made me realize how much time I wasted at school not doing anything,” Perkul said. “now I’m able to do my homework assignments whenever I want. I’m just productive around my house when I have time to do so.”
Some students told friends, parents or teachers how they felt about going back. Some students wished to stay home due to health and safety concerns, others preferred the online method.
“I do think it’s a good option, especially because some families there have more people and their families are older people and they can have high-risk people in their families,” Ramsey said.
While some students have adjusted well to the online and hybrid formats, Chapin has seen how it has affected students and continues to keep them motivated in class.
“I feel like the stress level amongst the students as a whole is just really, it’s high,” Chapin said. “There’s more depression, and there’s more sadness, and which is why I think it’s super important as teachers… to really exude that positivity, and making sure that the kids know that we’re going to get through this and it’s going to be alright, and this class is gonna be fun, and we’re gonna learn some good things.”
/That sentence is super long. That makes it hard to take up. Some of the quotes in this story would have more oomph if we cut them back to their most powerful parts. This is a place to try that.//
Chapin said //We want to keep tenses, past or present, consistent. Past seems most appropriate here.// he feels for the seniors who are unable to have a normal second half of high school.
“I’m going to count it this year, because I didn’t really have a last year. … or even last spring, but this year, it was kind of expected how it would be. It wasn’t that bad, but I guess I don’t really understand how much I’ve missed, because I haven’t gone back.” Pekrul said.