Going into the new school year, Omaha Public Schools let all of the students back into the schools across the district. They offered a virtual school option for those who are worried about COVID-19 and wanted to take extra precautions but that meant leaving your normal school and replacing it with TAC based education at home 4 days a week.  

Because virtual school was not a direct option, the number of in-person students increased. The increased number of students in North not only affects students, but teachers as well.  

Valerie Finch, a French and Intro to Education teacher, has seen many ways coming back fully in person has affected the classroom. One of the things she found when going back to fully in person Finch touches on is the lesser use of technology. 

“Last year most students were confused by all of the different things they were using,” Finch said. 

She later went on to say “They [school administration] are wanting us to really only use canvas and teams and I feel like that’s a lot easier,” 

Finch also talked about some of the struggles that went with teaching a foreign language during the pandemic.  

“It is super important for the students to look at your mouth to see how you’re forming the words,” Finch said.  

With some of the struggles that she has faced so far this year, Finch said that she “forgot how fun and funny the classroom can be.”  

Amanda Fricke, a Science teacher and a HOSA advisor for North, also feels that student focusing on classes and coursework can be a “challenge at times.”  

But overall, she is looking forward to keeping all her students on the same page and not “making the kids at home feel bad about not being here,” because her science classes focus on hands-on activities like dissections, she felt that “everyone didn’t get the same experiences last year.” 

With the “challenges” that Finch and Fricke both been through this year, they both seem excited for what this school year is going to bring.