MJUSD students return to class ‘I’m really appreciative that I can even come back’
Holding signs and welcoming their fellow Marysville High School students, Link Crew and leadership students were ready to help their peers who needed assistance on Wednesday – the first day of in-person instruction in more than a year.
“I’m kind of nervous but it also feels good,” said Jordyn Wool, a senior and Link Crew member. “It’s nice to just get up and actually go out and do something again.”
Marissa Torrez, a senior who is in Link Crew and leadership, said she was excited to be back in person to see her teachers and her friends.
“It was really hard being home all the time and not having that interaction,” Torrez said. “...My senior year has been more than half of the year at home and so I’m really appreciative that I can even come back and be able to be on campus for my senior year. It means a lot.”
Torrez said that when she was on distance learning, she struggled at first while trying to get the hang of it and because she’s a people person.
“I need to be in person,”
Torrez said. “But after a while, I got really good. The teachers worked really well with us, they were amazing and so supportive and helpful.”
Wool said she’s looking forward to school events, but was also a little nervous about being around people again.
“I got used to not being around people so now I just have to open back up again,” Wool said. “... The lesson (from this last year) would be that everything can change in a minute and it can change a lot so you have to be ready for everything and kind of learn how to take everything in and grow from it.”
Wednesday was the first day that secondary schools in the Marysville Joint Unified School District reopened for in-person instruction using a blended instructional model, which combines in-person instruction and distance learning.
Shevaun Mathews, principal at Marysville High School, said every classroom is measured so desks are spaced apart for social distancing and there are two cohorts of students – those in Cohort A are in the classroom on Tuesdays and Wednesdays while students in Cohort B attend class in person on Thursdays and Fridays. Some students are also on full-time distance learning.
Mondays include preparation and collaboration time for the teachers, along with student intervention, enrichment as well as social emotional check-ins with students, according to Appeal archives. During this time, students are on asynchronous learning.
Mathews said teachers have a camera and microphone to livestream to students at home, whether they’re in the off-cohort or on distance learning. At the same time, they’ll be teaching the students that are in the classroom.
“Our teachers have worked really hard on their technology skills, it’s pretty incredible,” Mathews said. “...I think routines are good for the kids and adults and it’s nice to be back to something that you know even though it’s a smaller scale and hopefully we’ll do it really well. We just need to see our kids again.”
Ryan Wallace, a math teacher and activities director, said he was excited to see the students back on campus.
“We waited for this moment for a long time,” Wallace said. “...I’m just excited about continuing those relationships that we’ve been building for years now. I have seniors that are graduating in two months that I’ve known since they were freshmen and so just seeing them come into their own and be back on campus to celebrate each other for two months before they graduate is pretty special.”
He said while he believes there will be some challenges, teachers and staff have been working hard to make sure things work as smoothly as possible.
“The biggest (lesson learned) is just resilience,” Wallace said. “...We can’t control what happens in life a lot of times and even through last year with the pandemic and everything we’re still going through right now, it’s a lesson that we’re constantly trying to teach our students, that if something bad happens, you cannot wallow in self-pity and pain, you want to address it but then you really want to put your best foot forward because, really, that makes you stronger. If you’re resilient through things like this, especially, you can have that strength and endurance the rest of your life.”
Stephen White, who teaches government, economics and U.S. history, said it was difficult to make a connection with students through distance learning.
“(For) some kids, distance learning didn’t work for them,” White said. “...I’m just excited to get back in and get back into the swing of things and make some better connections.”