Newark educators, students reflect on learning challenges, silver linings of COVID pandemic
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Newark educators, students and parents are reflecting on the challenges and silver linings of the COVID pandemic, five years later.
On March 16, 2020, the halls inside all public schools in Newark went silent.
Roughly 35,000 students were initially told to stay home for two weeks.
As COVID spread, weeks turned into months. Nothing would ever really be the same.
"We saw a huge drop in our test scores when we began testing again after the pandemic was over. Last year, we're back up to pre-pandemic levels, but it's taken five years to get there," said Park Elementary School Principal Amy Panitch.
Panitch heads up Park Elementary, but in the spring of 2020, she was a first-time principal at another school in the district.
"I really had to start to rethink my whole approach to teaching and leading a school," she said.
Virtual learning was the norm, and laptops were used to teach the basics to kindergartners.
Teacher Maritza Barahona told Eyewitness News that it was overwhelming.
"I see that you are not holding the pencil with three fingers, can you try, look at me, like this. If you don't know the foundation, then how can you read, how can you comprehend, how can you test," Barahona said.
At the time, Janelle Figueroa was in third grade.
Academically, she held her own, but looking back, she realizes all of this took a toll.
"I went through a stage of sadness because I wasn't able to be around my friends, I was isolated and I would isolate myself from everything else," she said.
But even with all of the change and challenges, there were some silver linings.
Parent Jaime Santiago Jr., says for him, one of those silver linings was spending time with his wife and two kids, which changed in the fall of 2020 when many schools moved to hybrid models.
"I was kind of heartbroken because I had them all this time, you really don't have a chance to do that with your kids, cause they're in school and you're at work," he said.
On the technology front, Panitch said schools were able to use it for many more purposes.
"Even just conferencing with a student, giving feedback to students," she said.
To close the learning gap, the district put a range of programs in place to address educational, social and emotional learning. It included everything, from tutoring before and after school, and Saturday classes.
"We are better prepared now moving forward," Barahona said. "If something, it taught us was how to be resilient, let's take action and let's do this."
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