After Cresskill High School switched to full virtual learning on the week of December 14th, students were finally allowed to return to the school building starting January 11th.  The closing was caused by new COVID-19 cases that were announced in the school, forcing multiple staff members to quarantine.  

As fear of the virus continues to rise in Cresskill, fewer and fewer students are attending classes in school.  It has gotten to a point where many classes have one or no students present.  A teacher that was interviewed said that she felt as if there are risks of returning to school especially for those who have certain medical conditions or live with people who are elderly.  

At the start of the school year, there appeared to be more students who came during Cohort A days. Now, it seems that both cohort days are equally empty.  

The empty classes are having an effect on the teachers. The same teacher stated, “Teaching to an empty classroom is rather sad. I do enjoy the daily interactions with the students especially when they are present in class. We have conversations, I can help more if they have any questions, I can also see what they are working on and give them immediate feedback.”  Most teachers would prefer full classes (when it is safe to do so), as they feel like they can interact with students better and truly teach their material.

As we head farther towards the end of the winter, hopefully, more students start to come to school and teachers can finally interact with them in a way that isn’t through virtual means.