Educators Working To Get Students Re-Engaged Post-COVID

Educators across the Upper Cumberland have expressed difficulty getting students reengaged with school after COVID.

Jackson County High School Principal Jason Hardy said that he has seen signs of disengagement in his students. He said that faculty and staff made it a priority to get kids back to a routine this school year.

“We know that not just with COVID but with anything with teenagers these days it’s hard to keep their attention,” Hardy said. “So we’re just trying to be proactive as teachers and as educators, vary up what we’re doing and trying new strategies that keep the focus and make these students want to be here.”

Hardy said that the disengagement has manifested itself in a variety of ways, including not paying attention in class or not completing work. He said that they also struggled with getting kids to come to school.

On the other side of the issue, York Institute Director of Schools John Bush said that they’ve actually seen improvement with their chronic absenteeism. He said he thinks students are happier than ever to be back at school after the pandemic.

“School spirit was off the charts because these kids had realized what they missed. Sometimes, it’s cliche, but we don’t know what we have until it’s gone,” Bush said. “And so the students have just embraced every opportunity. They didn’t get to have pep rallies, so this year we didn’t have a pep rally they were so fired up. We were able to have parents on campus, and host banquets, and just open back up to the community.”

Both Hardy and Bush said that parents can play a role in keeping kids engaged this summer. They said that with COVID being less of a worry, it will hopefully be easier to maintain normalcy going into the next school year.