For thousands of Clark County students, it’s a first day of school like no other.
Local school districts will start the school year online this week as the novel coronavirus continues to spread, with hopes for a transition back to in-person instruction as the school year carries on.
It’s not a surprise for current students and recent graduates, but it isn’t exactly welcome news either.
Students interviewed by The Columbian in the waning days of summer miss their friends, activities and the camaraderie of their classrooms. With uncertainty about how “Remote Learning 2.0” will play out, and a hybrid model beyond that, they also ask for patience in unprecedented times.
Megan Masters is an 18-year-old incoming senior at Ridgefield High School. She was looking forward to her final season as a cheerleader, to dances and the usual senior send-offs.
Last spring’s sudden transition took her by surprise, she said.
“I learn better surrounded by students,” she said. “Doing that shift online where it was me by myself in my house, I struggled to want to do the work.”
Luis Huerta, an 18-year-old Fort Vancouver High School graduate, said his classes in the spring were “a mixed bag,” with some teachers moving away from live instruction while others moved forward as though they were still in school.
District officials say those challenges will be a thing of the past, with the state reinstating formal grading and attendance procedures. Area districts have created master schedules, rather than the piecemeal approach taken when schools went online suddenly in March.
Huerta urged teachers to keep their students engaged, and create virtual classrooms that look and feel like they’re still in school.
“I just hope that the teachers encourage students to participate,” he said. “It definitely helps when a teacher wants to teach you, not just because they have to.”
Huerta’s classmate and fellow graduate, Alma Melchor Burgos, has a new fear: coaching her younger siblings through school while also attending classes online at Washington State University Vancouver. Her two siblings are in elementary and high school, and they struggled in the spring to stay connected to virtual lessons.
“Just being at home, I can tell it’s going to be stressful with three different types of schooling,” she said. “Thinking about it, I’m stressing out, but I’m ignoring that for now.”
Others, like 9-year-old Evan Stokey, aren’t bothered by the continued online learning.
“School chairs kind of hurt my back,” said Evan, an incoming fourth-grader at Salmon Creek Elementary School. “It feels nicer to sit here.”
Clark County schools could start reopening for in-person instruction at the end of the month under public health guidance.
Masters, in Ridgefield, is hoping to create some normalcy in the meantime, and is planning to work in small groups with her friends to keep her motivation. Despite continued concerns about the coronavirus, she’s optimistic about the school year ahead.
“I was really looking forward to my favorite fall activities,” she said. “I’m hopeful that maybe by second semester we’ll be able to have a bit of that back.”
