Our first year back after lockdown is quickly coming to an end. With in-person classes and optional masks coming to Penn-Trafford this year, some would say a sense of “normalcy” is coming back. 

     While students are excited to experience things they have not been able to experience in a few years, such as vacations, seeing friends at school and going shopping without a mask, how did those few years during which they could not do any of those things impact them? 

     Going back to school was something that most kids were excitedly counting down the days of back in 2020. 

     “I think the majority of students are happy to be back in the classroom setting full time. Students found it difficult to to be isolated from their peers and struggled to attend school online,” said guidance counselor Linnea Sherman. 

     Assistant principal Amy Horvat mentioned that freshmen and sophomores had a more difficult time adjusting. 

     “The lower grades (9 and 10) had to make a ton of adjustments. For the most part, our 10th graders did not really experience high school last year. They had to adjust just as much as brand new 9th graders. Emotionally and socially, they were impacted by the pandemic. They might need a longer adjustment period.”

     But that does not cover all of the student body. Some students decided to stay online during 2020-21, which may have impacted their return this year more severely than hybrid students.

     “I do feel that those students who chose to stay home as a result of anxiety (avoidance) when we moved to hybrid learning last year have struggled more than those who were eager to return to school,” stated Sherman. 

     Even though students were eager to return to school full time, they had to adjust to coming back, socializing in person everyday, and doing work. It was like the lockdown was a time freeze.

     Horvat explained that students are much more comfortable this year due to only socializing through social media: where it is much easier to communicate behind a screen.

     “Social media usage during our school day is at an all-time high. Harassing messages through Snapchat and YikYak were at an all-time high. In my opinion, it is because they were at home, online, or had constant access to this over the past year or so when they would have normally been more closely monitored,” explained Horvat.

     While Sherman said she did not see an increase in social media usage, she has seen an abnormal increase in unruly behavior.

     “I have seen an increase in bullying this year than in years prior. This is probably due to the fact that students were not in the classroom the last two years and have not developed social skills typically learned,” Sherman explained.  “As an example, it seems the 9th graders are struggling with drama that would be typical of a 6th grader.”

     Not only has there been an increase in bad behavior amongst the students, there has also been a decrease in academic performance.
    “It’s not just students who typically struggle. All students are really burned out from last year and are struggling to adjust to the workload this year.  Fortunately, we have been able to help students with tutors in the Media Center,” said Sherman.

     But it wasn’t just students that had a hard time adjusting to the workload. Sherman said it was difficult for teachers to stay on track with the required curriculum online.

     “The teachers are working very hard to get their students back on track. They did their very best to teach [online/hybrid] but it is apparent that students and teachers struggled.”

     Sherman added that P-T has been working even harder than pre-covid years in an effort to get students where they need to be and to prepare for higher level classes and college. 

     Horvat agreed that this year has been much more challenging for students, teachers and administration alike.

     “This has been the most difficult year of my entire career. I believe that most teachers would say the same. Students had more work because we had to attempt to close learning gaps caused by the pandemic.”

     With students barely able to keep up with school work and having the social skills of their pre-covid selves, P-T has seen an uprise of students struggling with poor mental health.

     “I have been working as a school counselor for 19 years and was noticing an increase in anxiety, depression, suicide ideation and ADHD prior to Covid, which is why I started running groups for students who struggle with anxiety,” Sherman said. “This year, we have seen many more students struggling with their mental health- so much so that the district chose to hire three therapists from an outside agency to run groups and meet with our “high risk” students individually.”

     There are so many students in and out of P-T struggling with these issues, that most cannot even receive the help they need.

     “Sadly, students seeking counseling are finding it difficult to find therapists who have openings. Students who are in need of being hospitalized are having to wait several days in the hospital before a bed becomes available.  A friend of mine is a pediatrician and says he has seen an increase in patients struggling with their mental health and states that they aren’t trained to address this issue,” Sherman explained.     

     Because of all of this, Sherman said she has been struggling to stay on top of things all year, which probably is a common feeling among students and staff.

     Horvat explained why it was so difficult to come up with a definitive plan to help students academically this year.

     “I wish that we would have had an idea of what we were in for during this school year. Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. We truly feel that online school is not the answer for a majority of students, so I’m ok with that decision. When students were quarantined, that could have helped, but it was a very difficult task for teachers to juggle as we found out last year.”

     Horvat also explained what she wished she would have known at the beginning of the year in order to better help students. 

     “I wish that we could have prepared for the number of mental health issues that we were about to face, but we did not know what was coming. I wish we could have been proactive with that, instead of reactive when we noticed the need. That’s when we brought in extra help.”

     Teachers and staff here at P-T understand how difficult it is to reach out for help. Horvat tells students that no matter how you feel, that it is always okay to talk to a guidance counselor or other trusted adult.

     “Keep in communication with your counselors. When you first notice that you’re struggling, seek the assistance of a teacher or parent. It is very difficult and we get that! We can help you!” Said Horvat.