COVID-19 might seem to have faded away, but the effects are still present to this day. Whether it’s how much we are online, how teachers run the classrooms, or the change in students’ social skills , everything has been affected in some way.
During the years of the pandemic, assignments were changed from the traditional paper and pencil method to being based in technology.
“A lot of things have been switched to online and even with it being online, people are still not getting work in on time and efficiently since pre-COVID. For me, it’s been a little bit easier, I’ve been getting my work done faster and better online than when we had to do it on paper,” sophomore Andre Ralph said.
During the lockdown, students had to adjust to the new, computer-based classroom environment.
“When COVID hit we had to do everything online, so people just grew and adjusted to doing everything online. That’s why everyone uses a Chromebook [and] Canvas. A majority of stuff we do now in school is online because of COVID,” senior Matthew Amade said.
Most students have been affected by the virus outside the classroom, including the way they interact with their peers.
“I didn’t talk to people in person for four years and now I don’t know how to socialize. I get nervous in social situations,” sophomore Isabella Shaw said.
“My social skills have changed since COVID, I’ve become more extroverted. I was deprived of human interaction during it and now I want to talk to people more,” freshman Fredrick Koontz said.
Not only have the students needed to adapt to the change in the classroom, but teachers have also had to alter their lesson plans in order to accommodate the new wave of students.
“I tried to do online school a year or two after that, but that got really annoying and I feel like everybody in school was just sitting there looking at their screens the whole time and doing something on their computer. Students didn’t talk to each other, I try to add more than just sitting and staring at screens, because that’s really isolating. I’ve tried to roll back digital teaching and do more pencil and paper stuff because I feel like it adds more connections and interaction between students,” social studies teacher Sara Freeman Church said.
Although the school system has shifted due to the effects of the virus, teachers and other faculty members have tried to make the best of the situation by altering both their classes and teaching styles.
