By Asmita Saha and Eliana Park
Being thrown into a familiar yet entirely unknown environment has left students and teachers split in their opinions. Both students and staff are adjusting to a full school and all of the challenges that come with in-person learning.
With all students being back in-person again, there are a multitude of things that once had a simple answer and now do not. One of the more deciding factors is tests. Digitally administered tests at New Hyde Park Memorial were on the rise far before the coronavirus pandemic, being favored for their usability and ease. They were also favored for their lower environmental impact. Paper tests, though harder to grade, restrict chances to cheat.
“For the benefit of my students, I believe paper tests better reflect their learned skills. However, for the simplicity of it, digital tests beat paper tests in a heartbeat,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Tiwari.
In addition to this, students who were fully remote last year have to cope with being back in person this year. Moving from low expectations and easy assignments to full work schedules with all the “easy ways out” blocked has been difficult for many.
“The teachers put more pressure on their students this year, especially considering the work and education that we missed last year...”
“It’s been hard readjusting to fully in-person learning again. We were all accustomed to waking up later than usual and working at a leisurely pace, in which teachers didn’t monitor us as much as they would if we were all in school, ” said freshman Tiffany Tso.
Some students, however, find it simple to fall back into their once-normal schedules and navigate through the mountain of tasks handed to them.
“Readjusting to school full-time has been unexpectedly easy, to be honest,” said freshman Maximus Josue.
Wearing a mask has been the norm for nearly two years now, with expectations being put into place for students to uphold this standard for the safety of others. However, most students are unexpectedly all right with using masks.
Source by Anna Detke
Students readjust to walking through a congested hallway during passing time.
“I honestly don’t mind having to keep it on all day. I’m pretty used to it now,” said junior Anneliese Park.
The workload has increased substantially as well. Teachers are dealt with the daunting job of figuring out what each student has learned and needs to learn and administer the proper solution to each situation. Physical textbooks have made a strong comeback in a multitude of classes, and paper based learning has made its presence known once again.
“The workload is drastically different because we’ve been given physical textbooks. The teachers put more pressure on their students this year, especially considering the work and education that we missed last year,” said Park.
With all the changes and confusion, finding a foothold can be hard. As New Hyde Park Memorial High School forages through the difficulties of this school year, students aim to restore their previous routines and get back into old habits.
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