Student anxiety eases after first day back

Schools across Auckland have reopened their doors after more than eight weeks of closure, to the relief of senior students.

Year 11 to year 13 students have been granted return by the Government in order to prepare for their NCEA examinations at the end of November.

With day one in the classroom done, students agreed the initial nervousness soon wore off.

Papatoetoe High School year 13 student Cindy Nguyen said she wasn’t happy at the prospect of school reopening at alert level 3, but ‘‘after one day of learning at school it’s made such a big difference’’.

Learning was a lot easier in person, she said, and everyone was following the rules. ‘‘I came to school super nervous, not knowing what’s going to happen, but now I feel I could go to school and still feel safe.’’

For Jasmine Setchell, who is in year 13 at Hobsonville Point Secondary School, yesterday was her first experience of wearing a mask for longer than a supermarket trip, but she said it soon felt normal.

There was an ‘‘uneasy feeling’’ going into a busy building, but students were good at respecting each other’s space and staying distanced, she said.

Mt Albert Grammar students described a mixed bag of emotions, running the gamut from relief to stress.

Luke Araus Blanchett said he was ‘‘relieved’’ to be returning to school but felt ‘‘underprepared’’ for exams as revision at home had been difficult.

Adeeva Khan, who is sitting NCEA for the first time, said she felt prepared despite the stress.

Most students simply expressed gratitude at being able to reunite with friends after more than two months apart.

Principals Federation president Perry Rush said the reopening of schools had given students the opportunity to prepare for exams, gain a sense of normality and get back into a routine, something that was ‘‘vital’’ to their learning and wellbeing. He said he understood why some parents were torn on whether to return their children to school, but he assured them that there were multiple learning methods available.

Sean Teddy, leader (hautū) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said there was no target for the number of students the ministry hoped would return to schools, and students would be supported whether they attended in person or continued to learn at home.