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By: Tyler Austin
By: Tyler Austin
This 2020-21 school year was unlike any other year. COVID-19, quarantining, closing of many businesses, and schools lead to a historic time that I hope I never have to experience again. But at the same time, we come away stronger, smarter, and better because of it.
I remember the last day of being at school in March of 2020. After school, as was the tradition, we all rushed to the Chevron gas station food mart at the corner of Virginia and N. Highland. Lines were packed, (in retrospect with students standing way too close during a viral outbreak) with each of us exhilarated and waiting our turn to enter. My mother was wearing a mask and pulled up to tell me we had to rush to the grocery store. She was anxious and said it's not safe to be standing in line so close to everyone. I didn't understand why she was acting as if there was a Zombie apocalypse occurring but soon learned the extent of COVID-19 and the impact it was predicted to have.
Learning only through Zoom was hard for some people. My friend, a DT Howard Middle School 8th grader said that “Zoom made it easier to slack off and if you do, it can catch up to you quickly” this is what he disliked the most about virtual learning. But I actually enjoyed virtual learning because it made it easier for me to focus and stay engaged without the distractions.
Although we have come pretty far by now, and have fewer restrictions, we should not forget what we had to go through to get here. As the philosopher, George Santayana said, “those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
Schools all around the world in March of 2020 had to shut down due to COVID-19. The only way we could learn was through a screen. This is when I realized how grateful I was to be a DT Howard Middle School Student. We had already been a technologically savvy school, with laptops for each student, using Google Classroom, and other online learning software. Although, when I asked a group of Howard Middle friends what they liked the most about virtual learning, the majority of the group said their favorite experience was asynchronous Wednesdays. It was my favorite too!
I opted to virtual learn all year round but for those who went back to in-school learning, I am sure things got a bit weird. Like walking in the halls with masks on, social distance seating, and staying in one classroom all day. I expected myself to be in-person learning like normal by now, but we can't expect too much in something as crazy as a pandemic.
It's hard trying to remember what school was like before the pandemic started. What were vivid memories are becoming not so clear and I miss seeing my friends, and teachers at school. What could have been memorable moments and experiences were lost. As someone who hasn't even gotten the chance to fully experience our brand new school building, it's kind of devastating.
Everyone has experienced some type of hardship due to this pandemic socially, emotionally, and physically, COVID-19 has shaped us in ways that we never expected, some good and some bad, and many lessons were learned.
I asked our DT Howard Middle School Principal, Dr. Kevin Maxwell for his perspective. He shared with me his concern for “the safety of students, staff, and their families (many of whom, he says, were front-line workers)”, as well as, “the many challenges students, would face with connectivity and childcare.” There were some lessons learned by our principal however that can benefit the student body in the future, many of which were related to technology. Dr. Maxwell plans on continuing to use much of the online software such as Quizzes, Flipgrid, and Zoom, along with other interactive websites for teachers and students. He also noted that doing morning announcements virtually became another way to connect and will likely continue this approach into the future.
Fast forward to May 2020, here we are. We have now surpassed and overcome many of the challenges. Dr. Maxwell said that what he learned from this is that we, “students, staff, and families are incredibly resilient because we found ways to stay safe, stay connected, and stay positive”.
Another popular lesson learned as noted by my peers was the importance of time management and being organized so “to do’s” don’t pile up. Hopefully, we can take that lesson with us into the future.
Overall, I believe that both students and staff have had their equal amount of struggles throughout this school year. We have had to adapt to our environment and figure out ways to make things as normal as possible, and as a result, we have learned some pretty great things that will likely benefit us in the future. Like, to not give up and work hard no matter what. Together as a whole, we have made our school motto truly come to life, “rising to the challenge, always doing our best, making a difference and striving for success”. We are Rams, we have overcome and will continue to rise up.
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