Back to School with Dr. Saunders
Jasmine Wilson '22 Managing Editor
As the new school year begins to gain momentum, many students struggle to start strong. The majority of the freshman and sophomore classes have never stepped foot in the building, and the upperclassmen are still recoiling from an underwhelming 2020-2021 school year. Luckily, assistant principal Dr. Saunders has some advice for any students who may still be acclimating to the new environment.
Jasmine Wilson (JW): It’s been a long time since most students have been in the building. Do you have any tips for navigating the halls?
Dr. Napoleon Saunders (NS): The first thing, and this includes being in the halls, is to be civil and to practice all the things in terms of protocols that we have in place to ensure that we're doing all the things that enable us to be able to continue providing instruction in this way, and it's challenging with the COVID pandemic… it's been very difficult to be able to work through that, but we all have to be conscientious about the expectations, [like] wearing the mask… social distancing, everything that we put in place we need to continue to do that, so that this will continue for us.
JW: How do you personally prepare to return to school (i.e. morning routine, outfit choice, breakfast)?
NS: I can't give you a schedule in that way because I'm not a breakfast person, I hate to say. I don’t want to encourage students to not have breakfast because I think it's very important. Probably, many people say, the most important meal of the day and so I certainly don't want to advocate for that. That's just my style. But in preparation for the day… I have a sense of what I need to accomplish. And although that will get altered because my schedule is very fluid, because things will just emerge that I didn't anticipate, I come prepared with an agenda in terms of what I want to do on that day. That routine is very important for me to be able to be productive. And so that's what I would encourage young people to do… just always have a sense of what you want to do that day before you start it. And then, use whatever routines you need to prepare for it.
JW: Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give freshmen and sophomore students trying to acclimate to a new environment?
NS: I would say to be focused. Take advantage of being back in the school, and really use this opportunity for direct instruction to develop any type of academic deficits that may have occurred when we were away virtually. Compensate; find a way to really get yourself up to where you are at the best in terms of knowledge and skills, so that you're prepared for the next challenges that you face. I would also say to be persistent. You know, to not just be on and off, but to be very constructive in terms of what you're doing, so that the work that you're generating really reflects the quality of what you're able to produce. And that's hard to do because in a virtual environment, consistency and persistence was a real challenge for a lot of students. And now we're back in this setting. Let's get back to returning to those kinds of habits. And then the last thing that I would say is be holistic. High School is such a wonderful experience for young people, and it's unfortunate that yours have been impacted and compromised in the way that they have been moving forward. Take advantage of all the stuff that's a part of being back… the dances, the games, the organizations and clubs and all the stuff that you really weren't able to participate in. That's part of the high school experience … use that opportunity that you have in front of you because high school is such a special time in your life to really develop your whole self.
JW: Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Saunders. Could I get a quick good morning for the students of Howard?
NS: Good morning, Howard High School. Happy to see you all back.
Jasmine Wilson (JW): It’s been a long time since most students have been in the building. Do you have any tips for navigating the halls?
Dr. Napoleon Saunders (NS): The first thing, and this includes being in the halls, is to be civil and to practice all the things in terms of protocols that we have in place to ensure that we're doing all the things that enable us to be able to continue providing instruction in this way, and it's challenging with the COVID pandemic… it's been very difficult to be able to work through that, but we all have to be conscientious about the expectations, [like] wearing the mask… social distancing, everything that we put in place we need to continue to do that, so that this will continue for us.
JW: How do you personally prepare to return to school (i.e. morning routine, outfit choice, breakfast)?
NS: I can't give you a schedule in that way because I'm not a breakfast person, I hate to say. I don’t want to encourage students to not have breakfast because I think it's very important. Probably, many people say, the most important meal of the day and so I certainly don't want to advocate for that. That's just my style. But in preparation for the day… I have a sense of what I need to accomplish. And although that will get altered because my schedule is very fluid, because things will just emerge that I didn't anticipate, I come prepared with an agenda in terms of what I want to do on that day. That routine is very important for me to be able to be productive. And so that's what I would encourage young people to do… just always have a sense of what you want to do that day before you start it. And then, use whatever routines you need to prepare for it.
JW: Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give freshmen and sophomore students trying to acclimate to a new environment?
NS: I would say to be focused. Take advantage of being back in the school, and really use this opportunity for direct instruction to develop any type of academic deficits that may have occurred when we were away virtually. Compensate; find a way to really get yourself up to where you are at the best in terms of knowledge and skills, so that you're prepared for the next challenges that you face. I would also say to be persistent. You know, to not just be on and off, but to be very constructive in terms of what you're doing, so that the work that you're generating really reflects the quality of what you're able to produce. And that's hard to do because in a virtual environment, consistency and persistence was a real challenge for a lot of students. And now we're back in this setting. Let's get back to returning to those kinds of habits. And then the last thing that I would say is be holistic. High School is such a wonderful experience for young people, and it's unfortunate that yours have been impacted and compromised in the way that they have been moving forward. Take advantage of all the stuff that's a part of being back… the dances, the games, the organizations and clubs and all the stuff that you really weren't able to participate in. That's part of the high school experience … use that opportunity that you have in front of you because high school is such a special time in your life to really develop your whole self.
JW: Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Saunders. Could I get a quick good morning for the students of Howard?
NS: Good morning, Howard High School. Happy to see you all back.
ELLICOTT CITY, MD, 22 SEPTEMBER 2021- Dr. Saunders promotes COVID safety protocols while being productive at his desk in the morning. J. WILSON/LION’S TALE