Martínez and Carrau 1

Valeria N. Martínez Fernández

Fabiola Carrau
Dr. Gayle W. Griggs
INGL3231-016
28 March 2021

The Unsatisfied COVID-19 School Principals

Amidst the pandemic, education in schools has changed and has deeply affected

everyone. Nonetheless, the ones responsible for a smooth transition have been the school

principals. Keeping students motivated during these times is more complicated for high school

principals. However, the experience that public school and private school principals have had has

been very different, which may be due to the difference between public and private

bureaucracies, the number of students enrolled, and even the pressures public and private school

principals and students face. For this, we profiled public school principal Angela Serrano and

private school principal Yan Serrano. Besides the increment in workload school principals are

facing because of the pandemic, they are also going through the struggle of not being

reciprocated with the same diligence they input. 

Public school principals rely on the Department of Education to make the important

decisions. As we talked with principal Angela Serrano about their choice to open public schools

back up in March, it was evident in her eyes how stressful this process was for her. She had to

make with making sure teachers and faculty got vaccinated as soon as possible so as to keep

them safe as well as assure parents that the students would be protected. Fast forward to the

beginning of march and the commencement of classes, many students did not show up to the

school despite the measures being taken. As Nat Malkus wrote in Reopening in the Shadow of

Covid-19: “For instance, last spring districts with lower poverty and higher attainment rates in

the community had more sophisticated and capable remote-learning options in their schools.”
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On the other hand, private school principals have to base their decisions from what their

school committees say. Principal Yan Serrano was in charge of letting the schools committee

know what he and the parents thought about opening up the school in August. This contrasts in

the change of command highlights the fact that private school principals are more in control in

terms of administrative decision making.

Even so, public schools are financially able to provide their students with financial aid

and equipment. Angela mentioned how they brought in computers for the students to come and

pick up for their online classes and despite this, dozens of computers were left collecting dust in

the school. It was her helpless sigh that made us think about parents that pay monthly tuition for

private schools and are not assured a free meal plan for their children. When dealing with

complaints from parents about this, principal Yan Serrano is not able to ask the government for

financial help. 

In addition to the pressure that school principals in managing their schools and making

decisions, they also need to ensure that the students feel motivated. When looking back at the

minimal requirements from last years’ passing grade system by the Department of Education, we

realized how big of a mistake this was on their part. This made the majority of students depend

on not having to do well in school to pass. It made sense why motivating students was a hardship

for principal Angela Serrano. "For me, the most important thing is that the students are doing

well academically and mentally. But to do this, I have to make sure that the school faculty and

students are working together," Angela said while staring out of her office door, as if pleading

for help. As her ex-students, we know Angela gives the extra mile to make sure all her students'

needs are covered. No matter how busy she is, she always finds space for attending her student’s

necessities (see fig. 1).

 Martínez and Carrau 3

Angela provided eight hundred students

with educational zoom conferences in which

she would invite professional speakers of

different topics such as mental health, college

admissions, and sports. The result would be

students not attending these motivational

activities. It was no surprise that when she

tried contacting students that had been absent

since the beginning of the school year was

Fig. 1 Principal Serrano and Valeria (Fernandez)
unsuccessful. Principal Latino addressed the

importance of keeping in touch with students: “Additionally, institutions will need to maintain

online access to other areas of student support, including disability services, counseling services,

and academic support resources.”

Principal Yan Serrano had implemented the same strategy when looking for possible

solutions to keep his two hundred students engaged. He emphasized that attending Zoom

conferences was mandatory and equally important as their grades. He has the school faculty

members that make sure to send emails to the students and links to future meets every week (see

fig. 2).

"It is not an option. Going through a

Pandemic is hard enough. Schools

should help the student through this

process, not cause them more burden,"

Fig. 2. Faculty Members Contacting Students (Carrau)

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said Yan.  It was easier for him because it would be considered a disservice to their parents if

they did not seize these opportunities to learn when money is being paid. This is where the line

between motivation and obligation are being blurred. Just because they are being obligated to be

present in school matters does not mean they are motivated to. 

We started to question if students deteriorating mental health could be a possible reason

for their absence of motivation.  The National Center for Biotechnology Information

Adolescence conducted a study on the mental health of students during the pandemic. “Is a

crucial period for social development. Social distancing and school closures during the COVID-

19 pandemic can worsen existing mental health problems in adolescents and increases the risk of

future mental health issues.” 

Undoubtedly, students’ learning capabilities will be affected long term; it is just a matter

of when and how. We concluded that the students from private schools are the less

disadvantaged since they receive a more personalized education. Besides that, both public and

private school principals try to lessen the long-term effects of these issues as much as they can

even when they are not satisfied with their results.  No matter what happens, school principals

will always need to make concessions and compromise.

 Martínez and Carrau 5

Works Cited

Fernandez, Valeria. Principal Serrano and Valeria. 2020. Photograph. Fernández Collection,

Lares, Puerto Rico. 

Carrau, Fabiola. Faculty Members Contacting Students. 2021. Phtotograph. Carrau Collection,

Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico.

MALKUS, NAT. Reopening in the Shadow of COVID-19: BEGINNING THE FIRST FULL

CORONAVIRUS SCHOOL YEAR. American Enterprise Institute, 2020,

www.jstor.org/stable/resrep26789. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.

“Student Engagement: Strategies to Help Institutions Retain Students during the COVID-19

Pandemic.” Ellucian, 2020,www.ellucian.com/insights/student-engagement

-strategies- helpinstitutions-retain-students-during-covid-19-pandemic.

Thakur, Aditya. “Mental Health in High School Students at the Time of COVID-19: A Student's

Perspective.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry vol. 59,12 (2020): 1309-1310. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.005