Return to the Classroom Is an Adjustment

Manya Baveja, 11, said that she had trouble making new friends until she switched back to in-person learning.

When the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March 2020, many schools around the world closed. Students gradually switched to online learning. Today, most schools have re-opened, and vaccines are accessible to kids over the age of four. With COVID-19 infection rates continuing to drop, social distancing and mask-wearing measures are no longer required. 

In Frisco, Texas, where I live, all 65,000 students were required to return to in-person schooling in January. But just because kids are back in school, that doesn’t mean they have adjusted to “the new normal.” 

Tejaswani Jaganathan, 11, has been an in-person student at Maus Middle School in Frisco since August. She said that “most virtual kids [she’s] seen and talked to haven’t really had that level of empathy with others.” 

Indeed, some students report that months of virtual learning presented a challenge when it came to socializing. Manya Baveja, 11, said that she had trouble making new friends until she switched back to in-person learning.

Madelyn Carreon, 11, noticed that “the virtual kids don’t talk as much during class because there used to be a mute button.” 

HELPING KIDS ADJUST 

Madelyn Carreon, 11, was learning remotely until January. She noticed that “the virtual kids don’t talk as much during class because there used to be a mute button.” 

Going from Zoom to face-to-face learning has been a big change for Madelyn. She forgot what it was like to walk from room to room for her classes.

Zara Khan, 12, has been learning in-person for the entire school year. She said that even if COVID-19 cases were to rise again, she wouldn’t want to return to virtual learning unless it was mandatory. Being in the classroom with a teacher helps her learn better, she said, and it’s more engaging than staring at a computer screen. 

Frisco teachers and administrators are doing everything they can to ease the transition back to the classroom. Michaela Gervase, an eighth-grade teacher at Maus Middle School, said that students have been receiving wellness lessons during study hall to help improve their mental health. Additionally, counselors have been meeting one-on-one with some students. It is hoped that these efforts will help everyone feel comfortable again in school.