The return to in-person learning has been a tough and tiring transition for everyone. From inconsistent quarantine rules to overcrowded hallways, returning to reality has been much more difficult than predetermined. One thing that’s changed this year are the emails we use, with a mass migration from the school’s private network to that of the DOE.

     Each DOE email is linked to a student or teacher’s data, so if something were to be put in or taken out, it would be marked on all DOE platforms. Word of the switch had not gotten out until last year, but it was a transition that was many years in the making. The DOE emails were always there, but the idea of a transition was never brought up until Google said that we had to get rid of the domain. But because of the pandemic, Google allowed us to stay on longer. 

     Recently though, the clock has run out. Which is why, upon returning to school, teachers were dependent on their students making the switch, being that students would not have access to their classes nor gmail address, and teachers would not have access to contact them until they registered. The DOE emails made everything easier to find, being that everything updated accordingly and Google classrooms were automatically generated, meaning that students didn’t have to go nuts asking for class codes. However, for many, this process was quite irritating. The website for registration would result in “error” multiple times, emailing students and teachers required actually physically asking for them, and it was difficult to remove children from classes if their schedules were switched, resulting in confusion when submitting assignments.  

     Many students were quite annoyed by the process, including Emilee Jospey, who said “I hated it”. Contrarily, there were students who were unbothered by the transition, like Bader Abdu, who said “I did not care”. As Mrs. Korten said, it’s a “pain in the butt, but it’s always gonna be hard”.

    For those who are still having problems with their gmail, talk with your guidance counselors to reset passwords or talk with Mrs. Korten or Mr. Archbold.