The COVID-19 pandemic has swept its way through the country, leaving its mark on the way.

One way the pandemic has drastically changed the norm in the country is the way schools have operated in 2020 and 2021. The common eight-hour school day five days a week has for the most part that was not been the format local schools have seen in the recent months.

Most locally, Northern Essex Community College has completely strayed from in person learning and took a nearly 100% online approach. NECC held strong to this approach despite most local high schools and elementary schools offering some in person learning from day one.

Fellow NECC student Jake Etter had these thoughts about the fully remote learning style; “It was very difficult getting accustomed to this type of learning after 12 years of being in a classroom.  It was an adjustment I was not quite ready for,” he said.

Etter most is not alone with these feelings.  However, this style of learning fits some students learning styles, for most it is not the easiest.

For local schools who have found their way back to fully in person, they have appreciated the gradual transition back and are relieved to be fully in person at this point.

Amy Lopata, my mother, and a fourth grade teacher at Bagnall Elementary in Groveland knows about how difficult it is to learn remotely and would encourage NECC to push for more in person learning.

“Earlier in the year were we using a hybrid model, but now we have transitioned to fully in person learning,” she said. “I feel like my students are more motivated now, because when they were spending more than half the school week at home it was full of distraction for them, but I cannot blame for that it is a challenging time we are going through. Now that they are back to a normal schedule, I have noticed a lot of improvement.”

The main difference between remote and in person learning is the motivation.  A lot of students would be more motivated to get work done if presented in the classroom.

Hopefully NECC can follow in the direction of local high schools in the near future.