Dimond Adapts to Face-to-Face Learning

Well, who would have thought we would be back in school after a full year of being in a pandemic? 

With Covid-19 vaccine out, schools are able to stay open without being too wary of an outbreak. 

Alaskans are able to get both doses, and we are lowering our numbers of cases. 

If more and more people get the vaccine things will open up even farther in the future.

With students being back in school, it has made people seem to feel more comfortable going out to businesses.

School is now different in some ways. Students still have to stay socially distanced while sitting at their desks. 

Meanwhile in the hallways have lanes for people only to go one way, and you cannot crowd spaces and stand around.

Some classes are still very small due to the fact that many students have also stayed home and chosen the hybrid option.

Hybrid is the same format for most classes since the teachers can’t be hands on, so the classes are the same without the face-to-face learning aspect.

Cooper Hamlett, a senior at Dimond, shared his thoughts on face-to-face learning.

Hamlett stated, “It’s definitely different without the normal social interaction, it does feel like school again which is nice, but the no lunch is hard.”

There are no lockers and there is no lunch during the school day, but there is a lunch that students can pick up on their way out of the building.

 Only a snack break has been implemented, which is quite easy to utilize since you have to carry your backpack around all day. 

James Reinbold, a junior at Dimond, voiced his thoughts on face-to-face learning.

Reinbold stated, “I like being face to face more than online school because I feel I am able to focus more and I can communicate with my teachers a lot easier.”

Reinbold was also positive on his thoughts on social distancing.

 He stated, “Although socializing with my friends in school is more difficult than last year, I still have a little time to talk and check up with them.”

Now a student has to deal with a good number of differences, but what do teachers think of this year and what being back feels like to them?

Scott Campbell, an astronomy and engineering teacher at Dimond, stated, “I feel a sense of complacency among students coming back from online classes.”

With deadlines being enforced with face-to-face learning there is no leniency compared to online school where there can be technology issues.  

In all the coming year students expect to be back to normal.

That would mean being able to have a normal lunch and six classes throughout the whole year and not have to stuff a whole semester into a quarter.