One present, 479 absent
There were no bells, plenty of empty seats, the pick of computers – and about 479 missing students.
Yesterday, 14-year-old Sayonara Taupau sat in the corner of an empty classroom, in an empty Mana College: its only inreal-life pupil.
With some students allowed back during level three restrictions, the Porirua college had a physical roll of one – Taupau – joined by two teachers in a deathly quiet but productive classroom.
Other students were learning online but Taupau, a year 10 pupil from Cannons Creek, said she was glad to be back at school.
‘‘It feels weird but I enjoy being in this environment because it helps me really focus and I have the resources and help I need to do what I’ve got to do.’’
Being the only student came as a surprise to Taupau, who had expected to see at least a few others join her.
Her favourite subject was music but she was ‘‘fine doing social studies’’ in her class of one.
Taupau did not enjoy online study from home during the level four lockdown. ‘‘I like working with others, communicating, physically, not online.’’
There were too many distractions at home. ‘‘Education doesn’t always come first.’’
Teacher Anshu Malhotra who, along with Mitchell Leaming, was running the single-student class, checked her watch and discovered it was lunchtime, then disinfected a table for Taupau to eat at.
Principal John Murdoch said even with some easing of restrictions, physical pupil numbers were low.
‘‘We rang all the parents and we got an indication of about nine last week, which moved forward to one, Sayonara, here this morning . . . it’s great to see her.’’
Murdoch said returning to a physical school with its routines would be a ‘‘different ballgame’’ for students used to the lessstructured life in lockdown.
It would be wrong to think they would simply slot back to the pre-pandemic way of teaching at schools. Online learning – and teaching – from home ‘‘most definitely’’ should be looked at in the long term.