Is it the Right Time to Come Back 4 Days a Week?
On Apr. 2nd, Dana formally announced that the option for four days of in-person learning would be available for the duration of the school year. The hybrid students were automatically placed in the program and the students that were 100% online were given the opportunity to switch to four days a week of in person instruction. The students that have struggled with online learning can now receive more of the in-person teaching and connections that they have been lacking. The silver and blue groups will be combined, allowing for students to see more of their friends and classmates. Furthermore, kids that prefer virtual learning can still remain online and will not be harmed by this change. Moreover, teachers will be able to administer more of their regular curriculum because most of the students will be returning to the classroom. This new program began on Apr. 26th and has proven beneficial for students and teachers thus far.
The program for in-person learning began just as many students started to study and review for the AP tests coming this May. In preparation for these exams teachers often aid in the review process by doing practice exams and other activities. As students return this review will be even better as teachers can now provide the review that they would normally give. Many students have stated that they learn and retain information better when they receive in-person instruction so these next few weeks of review should be very helpful. Also, with finals approaching this is a good chance for students to ask their teachers questions and make sure they understand all the material covered these last 2 semesters.
Moreover, these next few weeks of school will hopefully give seniors more of the on campus experience that we have all lacked this past year. With this being their last year at Dana, seniors deserve to have the best last few weeks which includes seeing all their friends and teachers in person. Although the majority of the senior events have been taken away due to Covid-19, at least they can have more time on campus with their friends and teachers through this new program.
This is also a good time to re-introduce students to coming to school everyday as we prepare for next year when we will hopefully attend everyday in-person. This will allow students to readjust slowly rather than jumping into a whole new program, assuming that we will be returning fully next year. Overall, I believe this is a great time to start in-person learning because students will be more prepared for next year and it will allow seniors more of the usual high school experience. It is better late than never to provide seniors with more time on campus as the school year comes to a close.