The concern of coronavirus spreading around public schools has officially caused the Chapel Hill-Carrboro district to close to all students, starting March 16 and ending April 6. Three teacher workdays will train the staff in online schooling, and students will start taking virtual classes March 30, after an extended spring break.
The new schedule will put students and staff into an entirely new situation, learning without a classroom.
“I think it’s the right thing to do right now,” said principal Ken Proulx. “I feel that we are safe, but to try to contain the spread of COVID-19, I think that not having 1,500 kids all together in one spot is the right decision to make.”
Although it may be the safest decision to contain coronavirus, a lot is lost in the next month of unconventional schooling.
“I mean as much as I hate school… my last year has been like, taken away,” said senior Ben Beechhold. “Prom is probably going to get cancelled. Then, graduation, who knows what’s happening with that, and the whole rest of senior year, all the stuff we get to do, like the senior prank and whatnot. It’s like all the stuff you get to do only as seniors is taken away, because we’re at home quarantined.
“I know for student athletes, last night very well could have been their last day on the team, and they don’t even get a senior night.”
The students and teachers alike have to learn a new way of learning from home, an unknown situation for both. Teachers have to face the question of educating without being able to directly interact, and students have to learn to manage time and classes without a regular structure.
“We had a faculty meeting this morning, and one of the things that we talked about was being flexible for students so that we could support them while still giving them things that they can work on,” said Proulx. “So it will look different class to class.”
Teachers have to decide which strategies work best for their students while school is closed.
“ I definitely think that teachers are professional and know how to best teach their content and deliver instruction, and I trust teachers are smart and our students are smart,” said English teacher Lisa Ibarra. “We’re all going to figure it out together, and it’ll be fine.”
Although online learning serves as a last resort, many students think that coming back from a two-week break into a virtual education will be challenging.
“The thing is, we do have two weeks off, and I’m already at the point where I don’t do anything now,” said Beechhold. “In two weeks, without doing any schoolwork whatsoever, and they’re gonna expect me to come back to do work on my own time… that’s gonna be wack.”
Beyond confusion in schooling changes, Chapel Hill and the rest of the world face fear of the destruction this illness could cause. Proulx faces those same fears in his own family.
“My daughter said, ‘I’m scared of corona,’ and I said, ‘It is scary. Right now we are safe. We are taking precautions to slow the spread. We’ve got plenty of food stocked up at home if we get quarantined. I’ll protect you.’”
Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease which we know very little about, and most of us, even principals, are a little bit scared.
“So, you know, I come to work as the principal and I do the very best that I can to support my students, I do the very best that I can to support my teachers, and I do the very best I can to support the community,” said Proulx. “And then when I get home I’m like, oh, wow, like, this is happening, this is real.”
