4 MARCH 17, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
COVID-19, TWO YEARS LATER
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.
The mask mandate was lifted 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.
“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 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 9-year-old 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 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.
Photo via Getty Images
“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.
“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.”
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
