COVID-19, TWO YEARS LATER
Education has come a long way, but many still need time to fully recover
BY JULIA MORO
It’s been two years since
educators and students had to
adapt to a new way of learning
after the COVID-19 pandemic
swept through the country
and wreaked havoc on
Queens. As the two-year anniversary
approaches, educators,
parents and students are
cautiously optimistic about
the future.
Maspeth High School
Assistant Principal Jesse
Pachter was excited to take
his mask off Monday, March 7,
and finally greet his students
with a smile for the first time
in two years. The mask mandate
was lifted on March 7,
marking a big milestone for
city schools after COVID-19
hit the city.
A lot has changed over the
past two years in education,
Pachter said. Schools went
from fully remote learning to
remote options to regular inperson
schooling this year.
Now, more and more masks
are coming off each day.
Pachter said he noticed
about 50% of students electing
to take their masks off during
the first week after the mandate
was lifted. And though he
feels this is an excellent step
toward moving forward, he
knows that it’s not quite that
easy.
“There are a lot of positive
things that are happening
right now in education, but it’s
going to take a while — people
have experienced a traumatic
event,” Pachter said. “We cannot
just expect things to go
back to the way they were for
quite some time. There are
still students who ask if we’re
going to close again and go fully
remote — that’s a real fear.
We cannot expect students to
come in, take their masks off
and suddenly be the 2019 version
of themselves.”
Many realize that there
has been a lot of progress and
positive change in schools,
such as students finally being
able to see their friends’
and teachers’ faces. However,
people know from experience
that this pandemic is unpredictable
— causing education,
in turn, to be uncertain.
One student, Veronica Witkowski,
a senior at Maspeth
High School, said that she feels
like it’s too early to be taking
masks off in schools. Witkowski
Photo via Getty Images
is just not convinced that
we’ve turned a corner yet. She
decided to keep her mask on
due to apprehensions and an
immunocompromised family
member.
“Personally, I don’t mind
wearing it,” Witkowski said.
“I would rather look out for
the health of my family and
others. Everyone wants to get
back to normal as soon as possible
and so do I. But I would
prefer to take more steps to be
careful.”
Just because some are still
feeling as though schools are
still in the throes of the pandemic,
it doesn’t mean that
there hasn’t been immense
progress in students’ education
since they came back to
school in September.
One parent, Sandy
Jimenez, who has a daughter
at P.S. 199 Maurice A. Fitzgerald
in Sunnyside, recalled
how difficult it was to manage
remote learning.
“She was used to having
recess but suddenly we were
sheltering in place and just
really scared,” Jimenez said.
TIMESLEDGER | Q 22 NS.COM | MARCH 18 - MARCH 24, 2022
“She had some really dark
times. She wanted desperately
to connect so we had her
in tons of interactive online
classes and play dates.”
Now, Jimenez said she’s
grateful that her daughter is
able to safely go back to school
and continue her educational
and social development.
“She learned to jump rope
and is working on learning
to cartwheel,” Jimenez said.
“She needed to get out of the
house and develop socially.
She needed to interact with
kids in person and play. I was
worried she would be behind,
but she has gone up several
reading levels since going
back.”
Rose-Ann Flannigan, a
special education teacher at
the Joseph Quinn Intermediate
School 77, said that teaching
her students math remotely
was almost impossible. She
has noticed that some fell behind
due to the shift in learning,
but for the most part, all
are doing much better since
being back in person.
“For the kids who came
online all the time, they’re
moving along fine,” Flannigan
said. “But for those who
couldn’t, they are struggling
to keep up but it’s definitely
getting much better since they
have been back since September
with an actual routine
that’s not being turned upside
down.”
As we approach spring,
Pachter is looking forward to
the small things that bring
him happiness as an educator.
“Those little things that a
lot of people take for granted
are bringing back that excitement
that was lost through
the pandemic,” Pachter said.
“Providing students with normal
activities like a spring
musical or playoff game is
huge. Students are really
excited again.”
We cannot just expect things to go
back to the way they were for quite
some time. There are still students who
ask if we’re going to close again and
go fully remote — that’s a real fear. We
cannot expect students to come in, take
their masks off and suddenly be the
2019 version of themselves.
Maspeth High School Assistant Principal
Jesse Pachter
/NS.COM
