Gillian Haugen, left, and Brianne Louiseize are getting used to the new normal at school. (submitted photos)

By Glenn Hicks

new normal

Behind the mask: adapting to change in the classroom

Sep 17, 2020 | 2:15 PM

There may be some minor discomfort and a few issues with communication, but students seem to be adapting to life behind the mask. And the key message is things aren’t as bad as initially feared.

That’s the sentiment from some Prince Albert students a week into the new school year that has been dominated by the need for health and social distancing protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes mandatory facemasks for Grades 4-12.

“Everything is going OK so far. I’m kind of surprised, I’m not going to lie,” Carlton Comprehensive High School Grade 12 student Gillian Haugen told paNOW when asked about how the protocols in school are going.

She wears her cloth mask through the day, although disposable ones are also available if needed. While the long classroom sessions cause some irritation to her nose and ears, she admits it’s something she’s coping with.

“We’re sitting in the classroom with it on for a few hours a day and we are getting used to it,” she said, but noted it was nice to get outside for breaks and remove it.

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One common observation regarding the widespread use of facemasks centres on being heard.

“When the teacher is trying to speak to us it sounds a little muffled, so it’s hard to hear what they’re saying sometimes,” she explained, noting she’ll just ask the teacher to repeat themselves if necessary.

St. Mary High School student Brianne Louiseize, who is also in Grade 12, has noticed the same challenges.

“Right now, the masks are definitely a [communication] barrier because everyone is so used to talking more quietly. It feels weird because I can’t see my friends’ or teachers’ mouths moving. If they’re talking quietly I can’t understand them. I think everyone will adapt though and start to project more.”

She said while the busy school corridors make it challenging to socially distance between periods when students are switching classes, she’s happy to see everyone complying with the facemask use and constant hand-sanitizing.

“I’m very happy to be back in this environment, even if it’s not as perfect as it was. We don’t know how long this will last but I think everyone is happy to be back,” she said.

Louiseize echoes Haugen’s general sense of pleasant surprise regarding the return to school amid the pandemic.

“I thought it was going to be more chaotic than it has been, and I thought it would restrict us more in the classroom and with our teachers.”

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow