Name: Vito Peri

Assignment: Chemistry Teacher

Mode of Instruction: Quarantine 

Codename: Biohazard Boss

“It has been a challenge adjusting to remote teaching,” Chemistry Teacher Vito Peri said. “You lose a lot of the cues that you use as a teacher to know if your students are getting it or not.”

Mr. Peri was recently quarantined due to being exposed to a student who tested positive, and then he also tested positive. 

“I have been blessed to have minor symptoms,” Peri said. “Similar to allergies with headaches and fatigue.”

Ever since, he has been teaching remotely from home, caring for his own kids while teaching his students. 

“The worst thing about remote teaching is not being able to separate work from home. I appreciate having a healthy division between my work and my family/home life,” Peri said. “It’s good for my mental health, family and students. I am better at all of my jobs for having a break from each, but I feel I am doing them all, all the time right now.”

He has been remote teaching for a week and a half now, and will come back Thursday, Feb. 12.

“I can’t wait to be back,” Peri said. “I miss interacting with my students and being able to manage my own classroom.”

Name: Peyton Gilligan 

Grade: Junior

Mode of Instruction: In Person

Codename: In the Flesh

“I changed from remote to in person because although it started off fine, at the end of the semester I was failing three classes,” Gilligan said. “That made it clear that whatever had happened or what was happening was not working, and I needed to go back to school in person.”

Gilligan has been online since the lockdowns started last school year, until now, when the school is transitioning into its second semester.

“The whole atmosphere of the school has changed and other than the obvious COVID-19 restrictions, there is the fact that everything is online now,” Gilligan said. “Last year I had two binders both packed with papers and assignments and now everything is online in Google Classroom.”

Due to COVID restrictions, teachers have had to use fewer physical items to teach. 

“So far, it has been nice. The smaller class and less constant interruptions are a huge step up from what classes were normally like last year,” Gilligan said. 

Classes are also smaller because some students are still learning remotely, even after some have come back for this semester.

“The best part is definitely seeing friends I haven’t gotten to talk to in a while, Gilligan said. “Unless things really bottom out a second time, I doubt I will go back.”

Name: Brianna Cruz Flores 

Grade: Sophomore

Mode of Instruction: Remote

Codename: Queen of Quarantine 

“I decided to change to online learning because I wanted to feel safe while learning,” Flores said, “and I was also in and out of quarantine so it practically felt like I was doing online already.”

Although she has been in person ever since school started in August, she decided to try out online learning for the second semester. 

“The best part is being able to be in bed and wake up later than usual, since I’m not a morning person.” Flores said. “The worst part is that teachers don’t interact with you as much and sometimes you feel lost.”

For remote students, technology problems provide a barrier to communication and education.

“The biggest change that this has had on me is that I actually started doing my assignments and since I’m home all day I started skating again,” Flores said. 

When in person students are waking up early, walking through the halls in between classes, and finding their way home, online students have time to do other activities and projects.

“If I considered coming back to campus, the reason would be to see my friends and teachers,” Flores said. “I really enjoyed talking to them throughout the day.”