New Year, New Variant: Schools in New Jersey Implemented Virtual Instruction to Fight Omicron Surge

After winter break many schools in New Jersey decided to go virtual for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks weeks. This is something students all around the globe have been all too familiar with within the past year. Harrison, Belleville, and Kearny are some of the many towns that needed to implement virtual learning, once again, after the holiday break. “Since we were online for so long but we thought it was only going to be for two weeks my friends and I were terrified it was going to happen again and we weren’t going to go back until next year,” says Paola Ubri, a student at Harrison High School (HHS).

Paola Ubri and Shannel Ochoa are both freshmen at Harrison High School and they have not attended in-person school since December 23, 2021. “The one thing I do think we miss out on by being online is not being able to see our friends. Interacting with friends and peers can not be recreated online; it is just not the same,” said Ochoa.

Harrison High is set to return to in-person school on January 17th. This does not include extracurricular activities, they have been postponed for HHS and many other schools in the state and country until further notice. Many students are upset by this like Ubri. She believes, “not being able to go to sports games, practices, or club meetings has been one of the hardest parts of going virtual. I don’t get to see my friends or socialize.”

Other students are not as hurt by the return to online school and find it to be very similar to in-person school. Ochoa is one of these students she said, “I think the idea of us staying home for two weeks was smart everybody can quarantine if we have to and nobody is missing more school than anybody else. For the time being, I think it was the right decision and it has not changed my daily life too much.” Virtual school is perceived differently for every student some enjoy being able to stay home and others do not, this simply depends on the student.

Both Shannel and Paola understand that being online was implemented to keep them and their families safe. “I do understand that being online is what is best for the time being and it will not be forever,” said Paola. Students have started to gain a better understanding of why schools need to go online. Most students do not want to go back to being online for a year so they are much more accepting of the school’s guidelines that will help prevent another year of quarantine. This is still not the case for all students. 

Technical difficulties happen whether you are online or in school yet, when you are in school it is much more manageable than when you are alone at home and are learning purely through technology. Schools have faced many technical difficulties as shared by Karen Pace, a fifth-grade teacher in Harrison. “Whether it is wifi not working, Google Meets lagging, students not wanting to talk, put their camera, or students who are not paying attention. There is not a day that goes by without some type of issue. I have noticed a major decline in students’ attentiveness when they are online. It is especially difficult when you are dealing with elementary school students..” 

Being online is and was hard on students however, teachers like Pace were also majorly affected. “I have been a teacher for 39 years and I have never had a more difficult year of trying to teach students. I would have days where some students show up 20 minutes late, they do not participate, or put their cameras on. I do understand that it is extremely difficult to learn through a computer screen so I try to give my students some leeway as long as I see they are putting some sort of effort into their work. Some students put in the effort and try but others do not and they sit in the google meet doing nothing. I am just very grateful we were able to go back this year and I hope we do not stay home for more than we are set to,” said Pace.