5 Changes High Schools Should Consider After This Pandemic | Community

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that schools, teachers, and students have had to learn to make abrupt, immense changes almost overnight. We have had to adapt, become flexible, and learn technology in enormous ways. And guess what? We are doing it, and we are doing it well, just like teachers always do.

But sooner or later, this will all end, and when it does, we’ll emerge smarter. And with that in mind, let’s think about some changes that high schools should consider making in the wake of this pandemic. As a mom and a teacher, I’m confident these changes could serve the students well.

1. Sleep

“What’s something you like about online learning?” I posed this question on an online self-assessment to a class of high schoolers. Their response? Almost every one of them mentioned sleeping more. Some of them so desperately craved sleeping more, that online learning trumped going to school and seeing their friends. For the sole reason of getting more rest. Wow! I was slightly floored. Were these teens viewing traditional schooling as a kind of torture method in which we forced them to stay awake past the point of exhaustion? Where they would rather forego seeing friends, participating in sports, clubs, and school activities, and having teachers on hand for extra…