Face to face, or mask to mask, education takes one step closer to normal

After being virtual for most of the first semester, the Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) schools have finally returned to Model 3 hybrid learning, with the possibility of Model 2 beckoning from afar.  Preceding the decision was a lengthy debate among district staff, discussing the safety of going back to in-person instruction. There were multiple factors influencing the school board’s decision on whether students would be fully safe and accommodated in a return to in-person learning.

“These factors included reliance on the Instructional Models Matrix and meeting the criteria to safely return all students and staff to a hybrid format,” Board President Barbara Herzog said.

The board frequently retrieves their data from local sources, using it to evaluate an education plan appropriate for Oshkosh students in particular.

“The data is reviewed every week to determine if we can safely return all students and staff to our schools,” Herzog said. “Information is gathered each week from the Winnebago County Health Department, hospital administration, and physicians.”

Virtual learning has also given Herzog and the Board a chance to evaluate safety protocols for those required to be within district buildings.

“Our ELL (English Language Learners), special needs students, their teachers, and paraprofessionals have been in our buildings all through the first semester,” Herzog said. “Lessons have been learned about safety through their experiences as well as through the maintenance, secretarial, administrative, and teaching staff who have also been in our buildings throughout the first semester.”

While the Model 3 plan is only meant to be a temporary measure to accommodate for students’ education, it is currently the most effective method with the health and safety of students and staff in mind. Director of Pupil Services Matthew Kaemmerer balances the risk of potentially exposing students to COVID while still providing them an effective education.

“The district's goal all along has been to safely get students back in school for as much in-person instruction as possible,” he said. “The reason for that is there are obvious academic, social, and emotional benefits to students being in school.”

Some students, including senior Alexus Winkenwerder, are wary about returning to school, but are ultimately welcoming of a physical change in pace.

“It is scary in some senses because we could have another spike and just go completely virtual again, but I like being able to see everybody, as well as being in a classroom,” she said. “I feel like it’s a lot easier for me to focus.”

Many students have expressed a preference for in-person learning. The part of school that students enjoy the most is getting to see their friends and having a more typical “high school experience.” Many of the usual seasonal events had been cancelled with virtual learning, and students and teachers are missing out. Freshman Ben Grill wasn’t able to participate in first semester events, but is looking forward to the possibilities hybrid learning might bring for him.

“I am excited to get back to school,” he said. “As a freshman, I am also excited to experience West and everything it has to offer.”

Socially, students and teachers are also missing out. Not getting to see other students in-person has been hard for everyone. Math teacher Ami Messner has been saddened by the lack of physical interaction with her students.

“I feel like it was really hard to build relationships and foster those relationships with students,” she said. “So I’m hoping with going back to school that we’ll be able to do more of that and I’ll get to know more of my students better.”

Senior Katherine Osborne also misses in-person interaction, greatly favoring it over the mundane and monotonous nature of virtual learning.

“Benefits coming from the hybrid model would definitely be having that face-to-face contact with teachers, and also I feel like it's harder for students to fall behind just because they have materials that they are learning on their virtual days ready for when they are coming into school,” she said. “As far as hybrid goes, they said that it was safe to come back, but I feel like some students really needed it and that's also why it was a factor in consideration.”

Low motivation was another effect of virtual learning. Sophomore Campbell Grey feels that virtual learning was not appropriate for them, and is now looking forward to a semester of in-person learning.

“I’m actually glad that we’re going back,” they said. “Going online full time wasn’t the best for me, my mental health started to get worse and I had very little motivation to do school work most days.”

Online school also proved to be a challenge and affected many students’ grades. Messner heard mixed feedback from students about how education has been different for them within their homes.

“Some students definitely excelled with virtual learning,” she said. “Others found it hard to figure out.”

Not all students suffered with online classes. Sophomore Lydia Xiong found virtual learning painless to fit within her schedule.

“When we went all-virtual it was easy for me to get used to the workload and routine,” she said.

Grey appreciated the freedom that came with online learning.

“We were allowed to kind of go at our own pace and be able to get our work done whenever we needed, which was nice,” they said.

Although students and teachers have adapted to learning and teaching online, many are ready to come back to school. Principal Erin Kohl is excited to see familiar faces return back to school.

“I am super excited about having students back in the building,” she said. “The best part of my job is being with students.”

Junior Taylor Block looks forward to socializing with many of his peers and teachers.

“I am definitely excited to go back to school to be able to see friends and get help from teachers more easily than scheduled meetings,” he said.

With the new year, the new semester, and going back to school, there are plenty of chances to set goals for improvement. Xiong has set goals for herself this semester and urges others to do so as well.

“I’m glad that we’re going back to hybrid school for the new semester because it’ll give all students a chance to readjust,” she said.

Adjust and adapt have been important words over this past year. The first semester was not easy, and the next semester will likely not be either as the Board was scheduled to vote on a move to Model 2 on January 26, but it’s possible to get through it, according to Messner. 

“It’s a clean start,” she said, “try to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.”

By Tessa Whitcomb

January 29th, 2021

Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue 4