On Monday, January 25th and Wednesday, January 27th, North Augusta High School opened its doors to students who went to Aiken Innovate for the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. Hosting an open house the week before, North Augusta worked to ensure a smooth transition for all of these students. When asked about Aiken Innovate (AI) students returning to campus, Principal Mr. Murphy stated that he is “most excited about our students returning from Aiken Innovate. We have missed them. Our school is its best self when everyone is present.”
Teachers Ms. Herve and Ms. Johnson were also interviewed about their thoughts concerning AI students returning to campus. As teachers of AI students as well as teachers of students coming to class in-person at North Augusta High School, they both offer a unique perspective into both AI learning and the current model of in-person hybrid learning.
Ms. Johnson stated that “I am looking forward to virtual students returning because it gives me a sense of normalcy. As a hybrid teacher, I found it hard to establish meaningful relationships with my virtual students. Many of them never turned on their cameras, so I never saw their faces. With the time constraints on the live sessions, we really didn't have time to get to know each other. That bothered me the most because I believe that powerful relationships with students ensure their success.” However, Ms. Johnson does not believe this return will change the learning environment at North Augusta, stating “I don't really think it's going to change anything. At NAHS, we have measures that have been put in place to ensure that students transition back to the safest and most effective learning environment.”
Ms. Herve shares this same sentiment, stating “I do not think that the learning environment is going to be affected. Students adapt quite easily once they are set in a routine.” Ms. Herve also thinks that “AI students may appreciate more the school experience now that they have experienced a school-free instruction.” As students return to school over the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see if this proves to be true.
Behind the scenes, North Augusta teachers and administration have been working hard to ensure that there is a smooth transition for AI students coming back to campus. Ms. Johnson expounds upon this, stating “our administrators, counselors, and teachers have worked together to make this transition as seamless as possible. I am very thankful for the administrators and counselors that worked with scheduling and for the teachers that had to reconfigure their classes due to the influx of returning AI students.”
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