Back to “Normal”: Are We There Yet?
A Post-pandemic Report
It’s October of 2022 and it’s been two and half years since the emergence of the COVID pandemic in our lives. Who will ever forget the sudden change we all experienced? The world seemed to shut down overnight. This disruption was perhaps most evident in our classrooms. We went from lively in class discussions to nearly silent google meets; from teams and clubs to loneliness and depression. Now that we’ve resumed live learning and things have started to get back to “normal,” what are the long term effects we might still be seeing? What lasting impacts of the pandemic are students and teachers still dealing with? And perhaps most importantly, how can we help each other to continue to heal? I spoke with a representative group from The College Academy to gain a better understanding of our post-pandemic state.
Veteran English teacher Alen Merced has been working at The College Academy for the last 16 years. This year he’s working with sophomores and juniors. Speaking with Mr. Merced revealed a great deal about how things are going at this point. Speaking honestly Mr. Merced informed me that, “[My students] are trying to get their groove back. I’m seeing them coming out of their shells. Academically I’d say we have a ways to go.” But he took an optimistic tone when he stated, “I think we can definitely recover. But I think we can make this a learning experience and come out stronger. I’ve been focusing a lot this year on consistency and forming good habits over time.”
Speaking with 16-year veteran administrator Mr. George lent further insights into our post-remote learning situation. Looking hopefully towards the upcoming year Mr. George explained that he’s, “…excited that we’re no holds barred with COVID restrictions. [I’m] excited that attendance is back in the range that it used to be and that COVID cases are down. Clubs are back…and we are going to have a full-school theatrical production that Mr. Martinez is working on.” But Mr. George also gave a clear-eyed assessment of where we’ve been in the last few years. “COVID made things hard especially for our current tenth graders because their freshman year was remote. We’re still fighting with the ‘do I really have to meet that deadline?’ mentality in our students. Many of our students worked during COVID and have family responsibilities.” Many of the shifts that remote learning brought to our students’ lives are still impacting our school today. With these ongoing challenges in mind, Mr. George noted that, “we will now have advisory as a standard for all 9th graders now. Teachers are more aware that there are other things out there [impacting our students] that we always knew, but now we are much more focused on.” Supporting the academic needs of our students also remains a concern for the entire College Academy staff. “I’m involved with [handing out technological] devices in our school more now. If a kid comes to us we can provide a device. We have a full time social worker…and our CBO. They’re addressing that other half of the child that the school can’t. We’re making sure students have clothes and book bags.” When asked to offer advice to anyone in need of support Mr. George stated, “There is someone in the school who will lend you their ear. It can be anyone who might feel comfortable enough to speak to. They’ll absolutely listen to you. Speak to them in a timely fashion. We don’t want you holding onto things until a [breaking point] and your grades have slipped. This journey isn’t one you should do on your own.”
Of all the people I spoke with, 11 year veteran guidance counselor Ms. Aponte offered the frankest take on the socio-emotional state of our school. A big part of her job is to support students going through a range of struggles. “I can tell you it’s overwhelming; it’s a lot,” Aponte explained. “There’s a bigger demand this year than in years past. There are more socio-emotional needs this year. More problems in homes and plus we’re fighting with substance abuse.” Referring to the prevalent access to recently legalized marijuana, Ms. Aponte asked, “How much can we tell someone not to do something that is now legal?” It would seem more students are looking towards unhealthy substances to help alleviate their stress and anxieties. But echoing Mr. George’s assessment, Ms. Aponte noted that The College Academy staff has taken on this work as a team. “Everyone here has a task and we’re doing a little bit to help in a student’s life. We now have a social worker this year along with the school clinic. We’re having spirit week, we’re going on trips. We’re doing everything we can to get [students] to see that education is important.” There are now more coordinated efforts to not only support kids in need, but to offer positive outlets and social opportunities for every student at our school. When asked to offer advice for anyone facing a socio-emotional or academic struggle, Ms. Apote replied, “Allow someone to help and guide you in the right direction rather than going through it yourself. Coming to school will give students a bigger support system.”
Finally, to round out my focused survey of our school’s post-pandemic state, I spoke with senior Miracle Eugui. I asked Miracle to describe how she’s doing this year, as compared to previous years. “This year I’m doing better than 11th grade. My grades are totally better, they’re 100% up. I feel like I’m way better than in past years. Two years ago I feel like I didn’t know how to respond to myself, students and teachers. I was exploding all the time. Today I would say I’ve progressed past that.” Miracle related her improvement to the school staff who offered her support when she needed it. “I’m getting the help I need to proceed and focus on my academics. I want to give a big thanks to the counselors, Ms. Hurtado specifically and Ms. Duval…for helping me to succeed and be comfortable here at TCA.” Miracle also cited her friend group as a reason for her turn around in the last few years. “I want to give a big thanks to my friends for encouraging me to go to the counselors and get help when I needed it. [During remote learning] my problems were worse because I didn’t have someone to talk to and…I like having a personal interaction. Finally I asked Miracle to offer advice to any of her peers who might be facing a challenge. “I would say for 9th graders, especially for those who are feeling shy, go to the clubs and games. Even if you go by yourself, someone is bound to talk to you. To be honest this school is very open and friendly… you’ll always find your place at TCA.”
So it seems that while we will likely deal with the lasting socio-emotional and academic effects of the COVID pandemic for years to come, resources and supports are in place at The College Academy to help students to regain any losses that may have resulted from the COVID pandemic and remote learning. In this reporter’s assessment, our small school community is well equipped to take on this out-sized job and to build successive cohorts of resilient students ready to embrace the future.
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Mr. Averill has been a teacher for 23 years, 18 of which have been at The College Academy. In his free time, Mr. Averill enjoys distance running, cooking...
