Bradley students share their opinions after being back to school in the all-in learning mode

by Bri Nutter, Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

A student sits at their desk with a spare mask at school. Photo provided by Unsplash.

The Bradley community has been back all-in for a few weeks now. The Jaguar Times wanted to get an updated perspective on how students are feeling with this big change. While it has been overwhelming for many students at Bradley, it has also been a much better experience than most were expecting.

While many students are pleasantly surprised with the outcome of all-in learning, there is still a big concern with mask enforcement. Penelope Kern (12) comments, “It’s going a little bit better than I expected, but I also don’t see a lot of rules being enforced with mask wearing.” While many teachers have been seen and appreciated for their enforcement of the mask rules, some students are still concerned due to the inconsistency. Most teachers are doing a great job, but some students feel that often, teachers don’t notice when kids pull their masks down.

While masks are one example of a catalyst to students’ anxiety, another large issue is the lack of compliance by the students themselves. Alivia Frye (11) says, “Precautions for places like the lunchroom aren’t being taken.” Mask etiquette has improved greatly due to the help of the teachers. Despite this, students lack the individual accountability to follow the rules and respect their peer’s concerns. It’s important that everyone does their part to ensure the safety of all students and staff around them. Cole Osbourne (12) emphasizes this, saying “It seems very unsafe. Lunches especially are concerning as you sit directly across from others without masks on.” The changes in the rules have been extremely challenging for some students to remember, but it's very important that everyone tries their best! While following the rules can be a large inconvenience for many, it is more important during this pandemic to be selfless and do everything possible to ensure everyone is comfortable and feels safe in school.

The biggest question that is on everyone's minds is: is all-in better for the majority compared to hybrid or e-learning? Caitlyn Bockbrader (12) believes “a lot of the staff think that things are better now that we are all-in and that we can relax. However, this is a more risky learning mode which means that we need to be more careful than we were in hybrid.” Many people seem to take a similar stance on this situation. However others, like Hayley Lauve (12) who says “It’s nice to be back on a schedule, and to be able to see all of my friends everyday again, but the crowded hallways and classrooms are a little bit stressful.” While there are many differing opinions, I think most students were pleasantly surprised by the experience of going all-in. With everyone being accountable for themselves, and having a mutual respect for their peers, all-in can work great. However, it’s crucial that everyone does their part to make this transition successful.

The Jaguar Times decided to bring these concerns to the administration at Bradley, in hopes to get their perspective on the concerns that students are having. Mr. Hamilton was eager to discuss, and made some really great points! He said “Considering the circumstances we have been in, my observation is I’ve been impressed with the maturity and accountability of most of our students and staff. Clearly with 1,600 students here, there are going to be some people that aren’t compliant. We do our best to reinforce/remind but I think certainly nobody is delusionally thinking it’s perfect. However, I do believe that it’s been a priority and an effort by our staff to enforce the new rules.” It’s vital for students to recognize that the staff at Bradley is doing their best to push students to comply, but high school students are stubborn. Nobody enjoys wearing a mask, and some students do not recognize how important the masks are, so they pull their masks down to breathe the fresh air. It is important that students take individual accountability for themselves, and their peers. If you see someone wearing their mask incorrectly, give them a gentle reminder to pull it up! If that student is refusing, you can always let your teacher know. Bradley’s staff wants all students to be as comfortable as possible, and most likely they will have the uncomfortable conversation with the student so that they pull up their mask in order to keep everyone else at ease.

All-in learning has been a different experience for everyone, but for the most part, the students at Bradley seemed to have their expectations met, and even exceeded. While it isn’t perfect, and some students still do not properly follow the rules put in place to keep us safe, the majority of students are taking the transition well and have high hopes to finish out the year!