Teachers, students happy for face-to-face instruction in Hoke County
When school started last week, only three school systems in central North Carolina chose to open for in-person learning: Those in Hoke, Moore and Person counties.
Hoke County's Don Steed Elementary has about 300 students who show up for face-to-face instruction two days a week.
Third grader Audrianna Castellanos said she preferred being in the classroom over online schooling.
"I feel happy because I'm at school, and I don't really want to leave it," she said.
Castellanos said the thing she missed most about coming to the class was her friends and teachers.
Monica Jacquez is her teacher.
Jacquez's room has about a dozen students, their desks at least six feet from each other, and everyone's in a mask. Students are not allowed to share materials or touch each other, even for a high five or hug.
Kids come to school on an 'A-B' schedule.
"The kids who come on an 'A' day would come on Mondays and Wednesdays. The students who come on 'B' days would come on Tuesdays and Thursdays," explained Jacquez.
The schedule is to keep density down. On Fridays, all students are online.
Principal Haley Hall said reopening gave the community what it craved — stability.
"I had so many teachers come to me and say, 'I just don't know if I'm ready for this.' But, on our opening day, so many teachers came to me and said, 'This is such the right thing for us to do,' because they knew they were home," explained Hall.
Take it from a third grader.
"Because I get to be here. It's not that fun at home. It's staying at home and doing work at home without being here. It's just not the same," said Castellanos.
So far, none of Hoke County's 14 schools have reported a coronavirus cases since classes started back.
