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Anne Fletcher, an adjunct professor in the English department at Austin Community College, works at her dining room table. During the pandemic she has had to be more persistent than ever about keeping in touch with her students. Credit: Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report
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AUSTIN, Texas Anne Fletcher worries her students won’t succeed. This story also appeared in PBS Newshour
It’s been more than a year since the coronavirus shut down most college campuses, and many of the problems that emerged at the start of the pandemic still plague Fletcher, who teaches English and developmental writing at Austin Community College.
May 19, 2021 5:26 PM EDT
AUSTIN, Texas Anne Fletcher worries her students won’t succeed.
It’s been more than a year since the coronavirus shut down most college campuses, and many of the problems that emerged at the start of the pandemic still plague Fletcher, who teaches English and developmental writing at Austin Community College.
‘We as professors could not express our frustration, our panic and our nightmares.’
More students than ever have dropped her courses. They’ve been battered first by the virus and, more recently, by a brutal winter storm and a major power crisis. A student who contracted COVID-19 this semester has fallen behind, but every effort Fletcher has made to reach him has been fruitless. Two of her students have been hospitalized with the virus. Several have family members who died or lost their jobs. Others struggle to remain engaged in their new virtual world.
Students from across County Wexford have been recognised for their academic excellence with academic scholarships to Dublin City University.
The scholarships, worth €500 each, were rewarded to the students in recognition of them receiving 550 points or more in their leaving certificate exams.
The students were among 307 young people from across Ireland to whom €153,500 worth of scholarships was presented.
While a traditional presentation ceremony could not take place due to current restrictions, school principals will be presented with a plaque to display in their school to mark the significant achievement of their pupils.
Scholarships are awarded to students who not only gain the required number of points but also meet the specific entry requirements and register to study with any of DCU s five faculties: Engineering & Computing; Humanities & Social Sciences; Science & Health; DCU Business School and the Institute of Education DCU.
New Ross Town FC is continuing its drive to raise enough money to develop their own sports ground having gotten great support in 2020 for its Split The Pot initiative.