Student Return From Online Classes
On March 2020, the New York Public school went into remote learning thinking the pause to in-person sessions is going to last for a few months. Jumping to the end of 2021, students prepared to head back to the school buildings after nearly 2 years of online instruction. What are the students' thoughts and perspectives on coming back to school after a year of adjusting back to in-person learning? Read to find out.
All responses were collected and reviewed on Janurary 2023
MHSHS Class of 2026
Please note that these are individual responses that do not represent the whole grade.
“To be completely honest, the pandemic and online learning neither increased nor decreased my productivity; I'm still the same procrastinator I was back then. I did enjoy being online more, though, as it was much easier and quicker in terms of getting things done and took a lot of work off my shoulders. Returning to school after this pandemic has been a nice refresher, but it definitely took getting used to new and old environments and rules.”
“I felt more energized by the fact that I didn't have to take the train to or from school, but I wasted that energy on other things, so I felt stressed, and I tried playing video games on my computer (on mute so I could listen to the teacher), listening to music super quietly, and even eating. but nothing worked. I felt worse when I went back to in-person learning because I had to go back to the daily grind, and it was more taxing than sitting at home, trying not to open an online emulator.”
MHSHS Class of 2025
Please note that these are individual responses that do not represent the whole grade.
“I wouldn't particularly say that the pandemic has benefited me or caused real detriment. Through the abrupt transitionary period, the adaptation of maintaining precision and attention while flowing information through a mere digital screen has definitely been a struggle. The use of remote learning has taught me to be more resourceful and grateful for what we have. One note I would like to reiterate throughout my whole response is that I'm not particularly fond of returning back to school in person; however, I do believe the effectiveness of retaining knowledge and information is higher when students sit in an actual classroom listening to a lecture rather than sitting at home staring at a desktop.”
“The pandemic affected me negatively due to my decreased productivity. I was falling behind in my classes, and this really affected me mentally. I couldn't keep up and became frustrated with myself, which I believe contributed to my determination to succeed and have the most experiences in high school. I push myself to become better, as well as to join more clubs and give myself more responsibilities. It's almost like I'm making up for my lackluster and embarrassing years in 7th and 8th grade. Going back to in-person school, it took some time to remember how to get in the groove of interacting with others.”
MHSHS Class of 2024
Please note that these are individual responses that do not represent the whole grade.
“The pandemic had ultimately made me extremely unmotivated with everything; this included my grade. I became less and less productive. At first, when COVID-19 first hit, I attended remote classes, but once we were a few months in, I stopped attending classes. But once high school started, it was worse. While I tried to put forth the effort, it was for nothing. I had the motivation to succeed, even with the support of teachers. I paid little attention in class and barely did any work. I was barely able to pass the 9th grade, but once I resumed in-person learning, I was able to put in the effort to succeed. In comparison to grades from 9th and 10th, it is obviously different. I was able to connect with people, and because of that, I was able to succeed after resuming in-person learning.”
“The pandemic definitely decreased my productivity as a student. As a person, I think the pandemic allowed me to work on myself and discover my interests. But, as a student, I got very lazy and got distracted when it came to learning. Overall, I ended my freshman year with good grades, but it doesn’t seem like I earned them. Returning to in-person school and being in a classroom setting made me work harder and helped me learn to be more productive.”
MHSHS Class of 2023
Please note that these are individual responses that do not represent the whole grade.
“School became a lot easier for me for a lot of reasons. Firstly, school started at 8:30 instead of 8, and I could wake up a few minutes before class started and just log in. In addition, the schoolwork itself was a lot easier. All of our assessments were open notes, and we received fewer assignments. Assignments that involved public speaking were far less daunting. Whenever I had to present an assignment, all I'd have to do was unmute and talk into my mic. However, it was a lot harder to concentrate in class. I was always on Tiktok or messaging people while I was in class. I only paid attention if the teacher started randomly calling on people or if I had to get something done by the end of the period. When the school first opened back up, it was depressing because the hallways and classrooms felt cramped, and I was afraid of catching COVID. In addition, I was used to having so much free time because of online school, and my days felt shorter after school started. However, I came to like in-person communication far better after a few months because it's nice to go outside and see my friends every day.
“It affected me mostly mentally, as being confined to a small space with people whom you are not meant to see every single minute of your life for months hit me hard. Academically, I actually did better because I had the internet at my disposal. Returning to school after the pandemic was a liberating experience as if you had just been released from jail.”