Many educators feel like they are finally reaching “normalcy” since schools are open and back to teaching in-person classes this year – others believe that “normalcy” came with a larger and even more costly price.
Principal Ed Dayton of Neil Armstrong Middle School was ecstatic to see many students getting involved in extracurricular activities and reaching education goals this year, especially since during the pandemic many students spent their time doing TikTok trends such as the popular trend known as “Devious Licks”, which popularized the theft or wreckage of school property.
Dayton say that “kids were isolated so much that they resulted in behavioral problems,” which was then exacerbated by extreme usage of TikTok.
Professor Heather Armstrong-Costello at Bucks County Community College felt that “students lost a lot of learning time throughout Covid.” Costello shared how her daughter was in first grade when Covid first hit but says she feels like “Covid did not affect children socially nearly as much as we thought it would.”
Spring Acker, a teacher at Armstrong Middle School, expressed how her students’ attention has shifted for the better since school started. “I think attention span was the biggest concern, since they were used to being at home. They were going on YouTube or putting the TV on, constantly walking away to get snacks, becoming distracted because of their dogs.”
Acker shared how she managed to find positives during the pandemic, stating that “teachers were forced to learn how to use different apps and technology, and that eventually was seen as an advantage by the teachers that were not willing to learn before Covid.”
Principal Jon Craig of Harry S. Truman High School says him and his staff were constantly holding meetings in the school’s library where they would discuss the issues they may have to face during the school year. Jon emphasized topics like “how the school was going to continuously be able to provide meals for students” and “making the full transition to online base education.”
Craig was relieved to see the high school return to “pre-Covid” ways. Craig said, “Attendance rates are back and maybe even higher than before.” With Covid cases lowering, students are finally able to relax and have fun at after-school events such as football games.