Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many students have gaps in their education, either through lack of available teachers or from the shutting down of schools entirely. 

Although the pandemic itself is over, its effects reverberate through a continued teacher shortage across the country. 

This is especially true for certain HMHS students who do not have an AP Language and Composition teacher. There weren’t any issues for the first few weeks of school as there was a full-time teacher but after they became unavailable, administrators were scrambling to find a replacement. 

As of right now, Mr. Tarsky, principal, assigned himself to teach the class. “I thought that AP students deserve a high quality education like all our students,” Tarsky said,  “I miss the classroom in a lot of ways…getting to know the students”. Even though Mr. Tarsky is a former Green Beret and Yale graduate, teaching the AP Language and Composition class on top of his other duties proves cumbersome. 

The principal can take a rest soon, however, as there will be a full time replacement AP teacher starting December 5th. Ms. Tah comes to HMHS after teaching English and Science at Cardinal Spellman. Though not currently here, many good things have been said about her both by students and staff alike. 

Naturally, not having a full time teacher for the past month and a half, let alone a teacher, is very stressful for students who are unsure whether they will be adequately prepared for the AP exam. During the beginning of the year, they had read Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 as well as a review on the Rhetorical Triangle; however once their old teacher became unavailable, the direction of the class quickly shifted into reading Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. Many students were left confused due to the sudden shift in focus on coursework.

“It definitely affected my learning,” student Kelvin Mungai said, “I think it set us back a little bit for the AP exam. I think we are about to start facing reality but I kinda think we need that to put us in a good place to take the test”.

Though the AP Language and Composition students have had trouble these past few months, the introduction of Ms. Tah into their classroom will undoubtedly help prepare them for their spring exams.