Due to COVID-19 keeping everyone in their homes, the tech campus is doing remote learning.

“We have to be more in tune with different students’ needs and watch our own emotions. Yes, I would rather have you guys here 100 percent. I feel that you guys learn better. It’s a lot harder. I have really bad days with remote teaching. If you guys are failing, I feel like I’m failing you,” said EMT instructor Mrs. Peistrup. “The first session is very hard. Second session is a smaller, better class, and third session is ready to go and keeps me on my toes. The knowledge that you guys have retained, that’s really key to helping me help you guys. I need to make sure that you guys understand the material because at the end of the day you guys have to save a life without books and paper.”

There are many things to consider when teaching remotely, especially at the tech campus.

“The homework where they explain more than just writing down the basic information, it makes me excited because you guys are actually thinking outside the box instead of copy and paste. Wednesdays are offered to make up days, and I extend my work hours for students,” Peistrup said.

The students like the extended make-up days offered at the tech campus.

“Yes, yes. Teachers should still be available because you can’t truly learn something that requires your hands unless you’re there to do practice it. It affected me positively, and I have better grades than I used to,” said student Justin Kellogg.

Many feel that they are learning better in the remote environment, but some classes need to be hands-on.

“Basically I’d learn more, but I don’t want to go back anyways,” said student Eddy Nick. “I think we should have hands-on learning for these kinds of classes because it’s required to be a good EMT. You can’t learn from the book always. The skills need to be tested.”