All The New World: How Does the Old “Normal” Fit in a Post-COVID School Environment?

As the turmoil of COVID-era instability falls further behind us, we at Homer High School are starting to see practices (both beloved and dreaded) return to our daily lives.

Among the more anxiously awaited returns are the International Club’s Fall Ball and Field Trips that, if they happened at all, had been severely limited during the 2020-22 school years. As our Sophomores (class of 2025) this year may remember, their welcoming dance as Freshman was required to take place outside the school when large gatherings were unable to be hosted within the typical gymnasium setting. In addition, fundraising events for activities such as these have come back into full swing. Many of the most popular school club partners for raising money during the holidays were unavailable due to the perishable nature of their items the past few years.

The return to “the norm” is not all fun and games, though. As always, the experiences of such hectic global times offered us a new perspective on the ways in which we organized our days beforehand, and this has led to some of our previous practices being received negatively upon reintroduction this school year.

For example, some of us found that computer-based learning was helpful for concentration and keeping track of assignments during the online classes time period. All of our daily tasks for each class were compiled within the same space and our most-used resources and materials were only a tab away. This means that the full embrace of printed material that is currently rocking many departments of the school is presenting a struggle for these students. Handwritten notes, no matter how highly held in the eyes of memorization-adoring studies, just don’t suit some of us in trying to truly comprehend course material, and oftentimes, a balance between type and notebook work is all that is needed to greatly minimize feelings of monotony surrounding coursework.

Another practice of the “before times” that is receiving mixed reviews at the moment is locker room usage in gym class. As students have once again been required to change their clothes before gym class, conflicting opinions have arisen. Some appreciate having the option to wear something different during the class in which they can sweat and not worry about the state of their everyday clothes, while others find the rush to get to and from the locker rooms between classes unnecessary and stressful.

In addition, although it is less visible in the High School, the surge in homework demands in our district since the start of this school year is yet another obstacle facing students in our revert to 2019-and-prior protocols. This is especially the case for the Junior High’s current 6th graders (class of 2029), who have been either homework-free or who have had their workload dramatically minimized for the past two years to accommodate for the unconventional learning environments, and who are just now being thrown into decisions regarding taking advanced classes and the shift between younger grades and High School challenges.

However, as is often the case in a time of adaptation, every individual has to determine for themselves if they’re fine with going back to the way things were before, if a middle-ground might suit them better, or if none of the above may actually be the right answer.