Moorestown Friends School is entering its fifth full week of hybrid learning, with half the Upper School students online and the other half on campus. The concept of hybrid learning is still very new to the entire community and especially to the students. The MFS Wordsworth Instagram account put out a poll, which received more than 100 responses, asking students for their general opinions regarding hybrid learning.
In response to the question “is school better in person,” 85% of people believed that school is better in person versus 15% who voted that they prefer virtual. Andrew Mercantini ’23 said he “learns better in person because it is an easier environment with fewer distractions,” and “works better with other students.” On the other hand, Jewell Jacobs ’24 told Wordsworth that she “prefer[s] virtual because there are no distractions.”
It’s especially important during these times to follow guidelines and protocols to keep the community safe. That includes sanitizing desks after every class, acknowledging the hallway directions, and social distancing when possible. According to a poll asking the community how safe they feel the protocols at school are, 91% responded with “very safe.”
Even though the feedback from the students has been positive so far, there are still some drawbacks. “I am still concerned about the hallways because they have gotten cramped with only half the people in the school,” Mercantini told Wordsworth.
Although MFS announced that the school will be staying hybrid through at least the end of October, 16% of people who responded to the polls would prefer to go fully remote for the safety of themselves and others around them. Sumin Kim ’23 said, “remote [is better] because I feel like if we all go in, there would be too many people and someone would definitely get sick, although I do want to go in all together.”
Although getting used to the new hybrid plan can be challenging, students are hopeful about the experience. Alissa Fox ’23 said, “I hope we find a way to get closer as a community, even if we have to stay six feet apart. Hybrid learning is not an easy thing to do in school, and I believe that MFS has done a great job executing the best possible experience they could give us. I believe we will come out stronger and begin to cherish each moment we get to have, in or out of school.”
