FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 17, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
Education has come a long way, but many still need time to fully recover
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
It’s been two years since educators and
students had to adapt to a new way of learning
aft er 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 fi nally
greet his students with a smile for the fi rst
time in two years. Th e mask mandate was
lift ed on March 7, marking a big milestone
for city schools aft er 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 in-person 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 fi rst week aft er the mandate
was lift ed. And though he feels this is an
excellent step toward moving forward, he
knows that it’s not quite that easy.
“Th ere 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. Th ere
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 fi nally 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 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 diffi cult 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. “She had
some really dark times. She wanted desperately
to connect so we had her in tons
Photo via Getty Images
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 fi ne,” Flannigan
said. “But for those who couldn’t, they
are struggling to keep up. But it’s defi nitely
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.
“Th ose 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.”
COVID-19, two years later
“For the kids who came online all the time,
they’re moving along fi ne. But for those who
couldn’t, they are struggling to keep up. But
it’s defi nitely getting much better since they
have been back since September with an
actual routine that’s not being turned upside
down.”
— Rose-Ann Flannigan
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