Students and staff have returned full-time to the Foothill High School campus for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

With the new school year approaching, teachers and staff at Foothill High School share their experiences teaching in person during the end of a global pandemic, due to the risk surrounding the virus lessening teachers were able to safely and effectively instruct the students at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. 

Teachers and staff share their experiences with in-person learning at the end of a global pandemic.

When asked if there was ever a time when the protocol felt overwhelming, Ms.King the Principal of the high school said, “All of us were so excited to have kids back that we were willing to pretty much do everything to achieve that goal.” 

The overall experience of the first semester back after quarantine varies, David Burns, a history teacher, said, “It gave us (myself and our students) a lot to think about. Talking with our students, the one theme that was universal was that the “load” was split between days without having to do six periods all in one day, day-after-day-after-day-after-day.”

Another teacher said,” I enjoyed the small student setting during the hybrid so that students were able to safely distance within the classroom. I was able to provide help to all students with minimal waiting time as opposed to the whole class.”

There were many policies in place to help students learn safely and effectively during the pandemic. An English teacher, Brett Vickers, said, “students were not on campus for 75% of the year. Once students had the option to return in Q4, the block schedule, social distancing, Wednesday classroom cleanings, plenty of available PPE, informative posters on the walls, and markers on the floor all helped keep the efficacy of education during a pandemic.”

During the on campus learning, many students had to adhere to multiple health protocols, Exur Demayo, a science teacher, said “From my personal experience, it was the students who served as excellent models of upholding the covid-19 guidelines and mandates.” 

Asked if there was a memorable experience that was taken away from this situation, another teacher said, “Through distance learning, I was able to still form meaningful connections with my students through ZOOM and in-person for the last couple of months. I was grateful and thankful to have gone through those pandemic academic challenges with ALL of my students.”