A Risk for Education: Transitioning Back to In Person Learning
By: Mara Winters
Coming back to school will always bring a lot of emotions. You may be feeling anxious, excited, or just nervous. All are natural, but coming back to school during a pandemic enhances those emotions for many students. Dealing with the stress that education brings in today’s times takes a different toll on every student. This pandemic holds a new situation for everyone and hearing from some of Jenks students shows a different perspective on how they are coping with coming back to school.
Megan Salyer, a Junior at Jenks High School, has a high risk family member living at home, so coming back to school was not only concerning for her health but her grandfather’s health as well.
“My daily routine for coming home has changed in the past year.” says Salyer.
When she gets home she washes her hands and sanitizes as best she can while keeping her distance with her grandfather. While attempting to keep her grandfather safe, she also has volleyball to think of. Jenks Volleyball is half way through their season without any player being quarantined and she is more than grateful for that she says.
If anyone on the high school volleyball team tests positive for Covid, all of the volleyball players will have to quarantine for 14 days. This would cut their season in half. She considered online school the first semester to ensure her full volleyball season, but she had to put her education first and learning virtually was not the best option for her. Although it’s a risk to take, she decided that the best way to learn was in the classroom.
For Trace Wilson, a Junior at Jenks High School, he didn't have a high risk relative or a sports team to be worried about. He was just grateful Jenks had made the decision on coming back.
“I was ready to come back, teachers can't fully teach a subject through a video screen.” says Wilson.
Junior year is a big year for high school students. It is the last full year that colleges will be looking at, so it’s important to get the best grades you can. Having this in mind, Wilson decided that learning through a screen would not benefit him as much as in person learning.
Two days after interviewing Wilson, he tested positive for Covid sending students in close contact with him home to quarantine for fourteen days.
Students need to remember to always stay six feet apart when possible and wear a mask. You never know what kind of position this pandemic has put the student next to you in.
For more information about Covid 19 and dealing with stress:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html