Back full-time and in-person
November 10, 2021
Plastic barriers separated student desks which were placed six-feet apart in this elementary classroom last school year. Some students learned virtually. Now, it’s back to school full-time and in-person for all.
Students are back! Patrick M. Villano School is open for full-day, in-person instruction. Some students like Molly McDermott, a sixth-grader, are working on stamina.
“Well, it [is] definitely longer, and I know that it can be a problem sometimes because sometimes you are having lunch and you just want to go home or at any point in the day you just get so tired. That was the main struggle for me,” McDermott explained.
Last year due to health concerns about COVID-19, students went to school in-person for a half day. There was some virtual instruction in the afternoons. A few times to quarantine, the school was all virtual for a couple weeks at a time.
“I liked last year better just because the days were shorter and we got to go home quicker, so I did like that, but I also like this year though because [we] can see our friends for a longer time,” McDermott said.
The full-day schedule calls for everyone to wear a mask while indoors. The 8:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. time stretch is new again for teachers, too.
“There were things I liked about this year and last year,” Liz McClafferty said.
McClafferty teaches Science in 6th grade.
“This year I love that people are getting vaccinated so we can do more things, but this year feels harder and more overwhelming with everything that had to been done in order for both the in-person and online [students] to learn that day,” McClafferty said.