Ludlow High School has been fully open for over a term now, and many students and staff have adjusted from going to hybrid or remote learning to in-person learning. This has been a bit more challenging than first anticipated.

One significant change for students is that they can no longer use “open notes” for tests they are taking because now they are back in a classroom in front of their teachers. Last year, teachers had to adjust assignments knowing that with no supervision it would be easy to “cheat.” Students now have to adjust to more studying and memorization.

“I didn’t give one traditional test last year,” said English teacher Mr. Cangemi. “Most assessments were in essay format.”

Another thing that administrators and teachers have commented on is that some students have become more rambunctious and hyper in classrooms—but only some. Many students are adjusting well to being back in the classroom.

“It seems the younger students especially are struggling with basic social skills after being quarantined for so long,” said Cangemi. 

Administrators have seen an uptick in behavioral issues, including more fights, as students adjust to being in person.

“For the most part, I’ve been happy with the way kids have been progressing,” said Assistant Principal Aaron Couture, “I think as long as we continue to support social emotional learning we are going to see more kids acclimating to more of what it was like being in school before.”

Academically, teachers are trying to get students caught up.

According to math teacher Mr. Camp, “Test and quiz averages were low in the beginning of the year for a few reasons: one, students missed out on learning math concepts over the past year and a half, and two, students were allowed to use notes on tests & quizzes last year, and this year they were not.” 

He also added that students are slowly adjusting to a regular school day again. “The good news is that many students are showing great improvement now that we have finished term one.”

As mentioned above, students did not need to study much last year since they always had access to notes, the internet, and other resources. 

Now students have to get back into the habit, but most are not quite there yet. For other students, it was easier to focus without the distractions that can be present in typical classrooms. They could sit in their quiet rooms, staring at a screen, listening to a teacher. 

Many students, however, find it easier to focus and learn in person, especially in math.

“I like being back in-person full time very much. It is much easier to focus in school than it was at home,” says freshman Isabel Cruz.  

When asked about their grades, it depended on the student as to whether or not their grades got better, worse or stayed the same. 

“We definitely have more tests and quizzes this year than we did online. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.” Cruz added.

One thing is for sure, things are not “back to normal.” Masks, contact tracing, virtual hall passes, and seating arrangements are all heavily enforced. 

According to one student who was asked about what they thought about being back:  “I think that some people forget that this is still not 100% normal to what it was three years ago.” 

Talking to some teachers, we found out that it’s been easier to teach, and easier to help now that everyone is in person.  

I talked to one student and they said that “this year is definitely better than last year had been, but it’s still school, so still not a big fan of it.” 

Most people aren’t a fan of school to begin with, but it seems that almost everyone prefers to be back in person instead of half online or completely online.