Quarantine Betterment Projects: An Explanation

by: Mr. Martin, Journalism Teacher

  When Wethersfield High School closed its doors in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students thought all learning was lost.  However, the real learning had just begun.  

   On March 13, our last day of physical classes at WHS, I had a long talk with my period two class.  That discussion, wide-ranging and free-flowing, all followed this central pillar: That this experience could be a learning experience within itself.  The articles you are about to read are borne from that idea. 

   The thought was simple enough: Find some way over the next 30 days to make yourself better.  This could be physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, or intellectual; as long as it is outside of your comfort zone and something you could have never done in our "regular" school setting.  

  My students took to this like a duck to water, and proved to me that just because the school building is closed, learning does not have to end.  

In fact, learning extends far beyond the classroom, and students can use the skills they have learned and developed over time (research, experimentation, and especially resilience) to forge their own learning forward.  In a way, it was the purest version of learning: unadulterated and driven by the student. 


   Below you will read their initial stories, which I hope you take the time to read and make comments on.  Stay tuned for further articles, videos, and podcasts, as this will all sum up in a final long-form article in the coming weeks.  


Enjoy, 
Mr. Martin

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