The 2021-2022 academic school year in Prince George’s County Public Schools was a mix of highs and lows, with the re-introduction of students into the classroom for live instruction, according to parents, teachers and faculty.
Schools moved to virtual learning in March of 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. After nearly two years of online instruction, Greenbelt students and teachers were able to return to in-person classes. The K-6 virtual learning program for county schools ended in January of this year, with vaccinated and unvaccinated students re-entering their classrooms.
Going into this last school year, recently retired Eleanor Roosevelt High School Principal Reginald McNeill said, in regard to the pandemic, he was “thinking about our students and what they went through and trying to balance the academic needs with the emotional needs of our students, so that we would not overwhelm them.”
Darelynn Fung, Greenbelt Middle School band teacher, said hybrid instruction may have been the safest choice but it was not an ideal learning situation. “Me, personally, I had trouble going between the live instruction and the hybrid and keeping all the students engaged at the same level,” Fung explained.
There were some challenges with the behavior of students returning to the classroom, said Fung. She said this was especially the case with the sixth graders. Fung thinks it is because of the in-person school experiences like recess, field days and field trips students missed due to the pandemic. “They wanted to come to school, even if they didn’t understand how to behave at school,” she said.
That idea is echoed by Vanderlei Martins, University of Maryland-Baltimore County professor and father of two Greenbelt students. “The kids, for sure, kind of forgot a little bit how to interact socially,” he said.
He and his wife, Marines Martins, felt that the real highlights of the past school year were their two children’s commencement ceremonies. Their son, Lucas Martins, completed fifth grade at Greenbelt Elementary School and their daughter, Isabela Martins, graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
Additionally, Fung felt that middle school students were eager to play their instruments with the band and in concerts when in-person instruction resumed. Some students had their first ensemble experience this past year in preparation for the spring concert or through joining the jazz band.
Fung felt that the art and music programs had a positive impact on students returning to in-person learning. “I believe it was something that helped the students get through [Covid] and it’s something that is very precious to them,” she said.
Fung has high hopes for next year. “I am looking forward to what comes next,” she said.