Education during a pandemic: What I saw attending Brewer High for a day

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Lunch time at Brewer High School Wednesday morning was quiet.

Half of the tables in the circular dining room are empty, and only one or two students sit on the table for eight people. This was the first time a high school student was able to take off his mask that day and hang out with friends at lunch. However, as some people took advantage of relatively normal minutes, others stared at the sandwiches while eating, put on masks and quickly left the dining area.

Although still the most social part of a student's day, school lunches during the pandemic will be unfamiliar to anyone who has attended high school before COVID-19.

Sophomore Brady Saunders said: “All my friends are in the first category, so I don’t think so much about them.” On Tuesday, Brady Saunders Classes alternate on Thursday and Wednesday. "The biggest difference is that the class is small and you can't see as many people as before."

At this time, the high school is already

For months: mandatory masks, social distance between corridors and classes, close interaction and fewer classes, sparse seating at lunch, and standards that do not allow spectators to enter at sports events have become the standard.

But after writing several months of articles on how COVID-19 has changed education, I have not experienced a day of learning in my first-hand experience of the pandemic.

That's why I walked into Brewer High School with a backpack and a mask on Wednesday morning and became a high school student. I followed Sanders’ morning schedule and attended his first two classes and lunch time. After a day in high school, I realized that because teachers and students have adapted to this new way of learning, there is basically no change in school learning.

From top left (clockwise): The mask reminder sign hangs on the entrance door of Brewer High School; Brewer High School second-year student Cooper Masterson (Cooper Masterson) sat on Wednesday at Brewer High School's Andrew Macsey On a computer in a multimedia class by Andrew Maxsimic. As sophomore Brady Saunders prepares to attend classes at Brewer High School on Wednesday, science teacher Arthur Libby (left) cleans up between classes table. Science teacher Arthur Libby teaches his AP biology class at Brewer High School on Wednesday. Image credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN

But when I was in high school, the best part was meeting with friends every day, sitting in the classroom next to them, spending a while secretly communicating gossip in the hallway, and eating lunch together. I remember there is hardly any interaction now. High school is mainly about courses.

On the day of high school, I took a test, built a DNA model in AP Biology, and learned Adobe Animate in a multimedia class. But I did not talk to anyone in class, nor did I see any students talking to each other.

Part of the reason why high schools are almost non-social is that there are far fewer students interacting with them. Brewer High School

: The first one goes to school on Monday and Thursday, the second one goes to school on Tuesday and Friday. Each group also participates in person every Wednesday. Some students choose to study completely remotely and take the same classes at home as students attend school. There are about 7 students in my two classes in person, and one or two are in the online class.

The restrictions of the pandemic actually limit communication among students. They will not chat, collaborate or even pass notes in class because they are at least 3 feet away from each other, and they are usually farther apart.

In my two classes, students mostly interact with the teacher when they have questions. Otherwise, the room is so quiet that I can't hear the pen on the AP creature scratching the paper, while the keyboard in the multimedia class is beating.

Between each class, the students cling to one side of the corridor and walk a few feet away from each other to reach the next class. There is no lingering in the hallway, hanging out in the lockers or having a drink by the water dispenser.

From top left (clockwise): Computer technology teacher Andrew Maxsimic helped Stone Therrien with a multimedia project in Wednesday's class. Students at Brewer High School got off the bus on Wednesday morning. BDN reporter Eesha Pendharkar attended a multimedia course at Brewer High School on Wednesday, where she spent a day experiencing the children's high school conditions during the pandemic. In order to maintain a distance from society and allow masks to be removed while eating, only two students can share a table during lunch. Image credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN

Orange tape separates the corridors of Brewer High School to guide the flow of people, and the student movement is similar to a car driving on both sides of the double yellow line, instead of the large number of high school students chatting and mingling I remember.

But it is these same restrictions that lead to

The spread of this virus in schools is much less than in other places. Students follow all the guidelines set by the school without reminding them to wear masks properly or maintain social distancing.

In fact, all of my teenage classmates are better than me in wearing masks for several hours. After about three hours, I had to go to the bathroom to take off the mask for a few seconds.

Unlike many of the country’s largest school districts, most Maine students have been able to return to school for at least a week since September.

In the past two months, despite a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state, schools

Because the same measures have been taken that have nothing to do with the social part of the high school diploma.

The academic aspect of the school has largely remained unchanged, Sanders said, and it is still worth attending school in person.

From left: Jahfari Maddo (center) engaged in AP Biology research at Brewer High School on Wednesday; BDN reporter Eesha Pendharkar attended AP Biology at Brewer High School on Wednesday, where she spent a day experiencing children's high school during the pandemic a feeling of. Computer technology teacher Andrew Maxsimic (left) spoke with sophomore Brady Saunders at the start of the multimedia class on Wednesday. Image credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN

Throughout my day, the teacher divides his attention between the remote students and the students in the classroom, usually the remote students watch the same screen as the students present. During the class, the teacher disinfected the table and wiped the chair. When face-to-face students work on homework, they talk to remote students to make sure they are caught up.

"Usually I can have 20 children in this room, and the teaching content is the same as what I am teaching now. It is strange to have a small class." Then it is strange to teach the same thing for two consecutive days. "

From lunch to class, from photo day to award ceremony, administrators and teachers have to rethink almost all aspects of high school. Principal Brent Slowikowski said that this new learning method has some advantages. He said that because the class size is small, teachers can provide personalized attention to students, and a smaller class size also means fewer behavior problems.

He said: "I don't want to do all of this forever." "But there are some advantages."

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