Welcome back Shamrocks! As you know these past seven months have been anything but normal due to the coronavirus. Everyone has had to make adjustments and try their best to carry on as normal. We decided to interview two Saint Patrick teachers, Ms. Wood and Mr. Filipiak, to get their opinions on the return to school and how things have changed. 

 Ms. Wood is an art teacher who has been part of the community for over 10 years working with Lasallian Youth, helping organize our school masses, and other charity and service projects. Mr. Filipiak is a theology teacher in his second year. He is another staff member who helps service projects and charity events. 

 When asked about the changes made from last year’s e-learning experience to this year both teachers said they believed it has improved as they had more time to prepare and give credit to the entire faculty as they worked all summer to prepare for the fall semester.

Both teachers agreed that it is not the same as having a full class in person every day since due to the hybrid schedule we only have half of our classes present on any given day, and we also had a two week period of full e-learning.

Ms. Wood said she misses being in school. She wishes she could be in class to see her students, and her friends around the building. Mr. Filipak gave a very interesting answer when asked if he believes we will have a normal school year at any point over the next two semesters. He said, “I believe normal is what you make it. This is part of our experience now. Whether we make this experience ‘normal’ is up to us.”

I do agree with Mr. Filipiak, we should strive to make this year the best we can no matter if it is considered “normal” or not. 

The last question I asked both teachers was how they believed the students were handling the constant change and challenges put before us, both were very proud of our student body.

“I think the students are great!” – Ms. Wood

“You gentlemen have risen to the occasion.” – Mr. Filipiak

Mr. Filipiak also challenged us to be the change we want in the class, “I know we all start waiting for the next thing to do as soon as the call starts, but a little mindfulness, a little presence, would go a long way in making this journey more enjoyable, and -oh man- educational, for us all. Don’t be bored. Be the change you wish to see in the class.”