| By Nashiya, 8th grade | April 2021 … Mr. Christopher Leonard, a DePaul religion and social studies teacher, said he has gotten much better using technology during the pandemic.

However, he said, he still prefers to sit in a classroom and listen to his students. For him, breakout rooms don’t compare to in-person conversations. He said he misses hearing students talk about God in religion and historical stories about people in social studies.

Plus, he said, students don’t participate as much when they are on Zoom. He said he feels they are not as motivated. So he often tells jokes and plays music to brighten his classes and make virtual learning fun.

Mr. Leonard said he is excited to go back to the school building, but he feels that he will have to retrain himself to get up earlier and get out of his home-schooling routine.

— Nashiya is a reporter at DePaul Healthy Trailblazer Journal