While students are learning how to be scholars at home, educators are learning how to teach like they’ve never taught before. And, many of them have families. Multitasking is never easy, but parenting in a pandemic? For many educators it’s 24/7.
Senior Steven Danielson has had to reschedule his SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) three times since March. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this seems to be a trend, with testing centers across the country canceling their tests because of the safety risks such a large gathering poses.
Seniors begin to wonder what college admissions will look like as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with the consensus among many colleges in Washington state being that the SAT and ACT will be optional, grades will be looked at in a different light as well as extracurricular activities and volunteering.
The Timberline High School’s clubs were always the gem of the week, allowing students to socialize and interact with small groups who shared their same interests, but with COVID-19 going on around the world, these clubs will be heavily affected. Our school has many clubs to offer, such as National Honor Society (NHS), the Chess Club, Black Student Union (BSU) and many more amazing choices.
On Wednesday, October 7th, Washington Interscholastic Athletic association (WIAA) announced the revised plan for the “Return of Sports”. A much anticipated topic in most highschoolers homes, the return of sports could bring back joy to some students. This new plan allows for sports in all their covid modified glory to return in January.
This year, the Timberline Blazer Dance Team is providing a new way to get involved and get prepared for tryouts. The application asks questions such as “Why do you want to be a member of the dance team?” Once completed, the applicant will be in touch with dance coach Colette Hudson. “I have people submitting [dance] videos for feedback, and I am staying in contact with them…I have been letting those who are interested know if they are on the right path to making the team. They [will] have more time and feedback to work on in-person tryout skills.” Zero experience is needed to try out, “I look for those that have potential” said Hudson.
Now that everyone in Washington is quarantined, fewer trips are being made, fewer people are going out to the store, but one of the things that seem to have increased is family time, or more specifically, sibling time.
Josh Schmitz is a seventh grader at Saint Michael’s Parish Middle School and a young man with a unique hobby. From sun up to sun down he can be most easily found outside of his home, skating across the pavement and diligently practicing a form of street hockey with his very own goal and rollerblades. However, if you really need him, your only hope is that a car might drive by. It’s the only way he will stop momentarily and remove the shiny blue headphones that blast music to keep him focused. The recent outbreak of coronavirus has changed what being a hockey player looks like for Schmitz, but from his story there is inspiration to take and hope to gather for those kids who are recently experiencing similar forms of change in their own lives.
Life has thrown everyone a curveball lately, but teachers arguably have dealt with the most change. Educators are trying to optimize learning in a world without traditional school, yet students rarely hear their point of view.