One thing all of us, from teachers to students, can agree on is that the past few years have been very difficult. COVID hit the world unexpectedly and everyone’s lives were disoriented. All of us had to adjust to the pandemic and face many challenges that impacted us negatively in different ways with our own experiences. However, with those negative changes, there came positive changes as well.

We were so busy with our own situations that we were oblivious and unaware of other people’s problems. One group I would like to bring to attention would be teachers, specifically those of HMSA. During the pandemic, some may have thought they were unaffected or not as much. However, many were just as shocked and lost as we were. Each teacher responded to COVID differently. They all had their own situations and struggles to deal with such as family health issues.

Throughout the pandemic, there was always something to worry about. When school was closed down and held online for the first time, teachers tried to get used to what they thought was going to be short and temporary. As online learning was extended, it became a bigger problem than it was originally perceived. Not knowing when they could go back to in-person, teachers and students alike resorted to using online resources and applications long-term. Integrating technology into class lessons proved to take a toll on teachers. They knew that students could easily cheat using the internet, especially in subjects like English and Math. This could be prevented in some ways but unfortunately there would always be those who would find one way or another.

HMSA is no longer like it was years ago before COVID. There were protocols that stayed the same and ones that changed. Technology was not as relied on as much before. Now, even though the pandemic has ended, technology has proven to be efficient and beneficial to use for the classroom. After coming back from a worldwide pandemic, some have still not fully recovered from their new adjusted lifestyle and the habits they developed.

After coming back in-person, there were positive and negative changes that teachers made. Some expressed reluctance towards HMSA having lesser constraints, such as the freer use of cellphones, as Mrs. Latigay stated. A positive change, however, was that new staff and teachers were hired over the years, giving HMSA a new and different feel. However, over time, this new age of teaching and learning prevailed. Teachers and staff were able to manage all the difficulties COVID brought. Slowly but surely, the effects of the pandemic won’t seem like such a big deal in the future. People will get used to the differences as if nothing ever had changed. However, it will never be forgotten as something that has affected everyone. Some have still not fully recovered from their new adjusted lifestyle and the habits they developed.

COVID also resulted in less social events, such as Halloween and Winter Formal events. Field trips were also suspended for an indefinite period. This restricted many fun events for students to look forward to. This also set limitations for teachers and changed how they approach the classroom.

The struggles the teachers and students went through have shaped HMSA to what it is now. These changes made way for new opportunities in the learning environment that wouldn’t be thought of otherwise, for example, teachers have found new ways to use the resources they have to make their classroom special and lessons that are fun to learn.