Life was turned around during the last several weeks of school as COVID-19 led to the closure of all local schools. And although many had to resort to online learning and other technical avenues, the foundation was still ever-present.
It was still teaching.
And Wendy Perry, a chemistry teacher at Manchester Academy, found herself spending more hours at the empty school to ensure her students received a proper education to finish the school year. She had to upload YouTube videos for the first time in her life. She remained in her classroom until the evening to make sure all the lessons were adequately prepared for her five classes. And she greeted her students over Zoom meetings and Facetime to make sure they stayed on track.
And all her work paid off. The majority of her students maintained good grades, some even improving, as the home became the new classroom.
“They were so successful, and they took this new way of doing things with such great adjustment,” Perry said. “They did what was asked of them, and they learned how to be successful in a different situation. I am proud of the way they performed.”
Perry has taught chemistry for the past 31 years at the local academy. But teaching was not the first profession she pursued.
“I had a job at Mississippi Chemical in research and development,” she said. “But then when they had their first big layoffs, I was one of them.”
Chemistry was a subject that always interested Perry, even as a young child. But there was also a teaching interest there, unbeknownst to her.
“When I was a kid, I would line up my dolls and teach them,” she said.
Perry had intended to head to medical school during her college years. Her high school chemistry teacher, known as Captain Price, had planted that seed in her.
“He was so hard,” she said, with a laugh. “But I found myself in his class every year. I enjoyed it. Even in college, I really liked being in the lab. I felt like chemistry was my thing.”
After her departure from Mississippi Chemical, it was during a Junior Auxiliary luncheon that Barbara Atkinson suggested Perry give teaching a try at MA.
“The Lord definitely had His hands in getting me here,” Perry said. “The Lord showed me this was my calling.”
Perry said she enjoys seeing the students approach the subject of chemistry. Some have a natural knack for it. Others take a little time but seeing their light bulbs go off is rewarding, Perry said.
“I enjoy watching every student succeed,” Perry said. “I really enjoy seeing those students who have graduated to come back and tell me that chemistry in college is easier because they had me as a teacher in high school. It is rewarding to hear the kids are successful and see what they are doing with their lives, even if it is not involving science.”
With today’s technology and the desire to stay plugged into social media, Perry said teaching has its challenges in keeping your students’ attention.
“There are so many distractions today,” she said. “You have to compete with those distractions and keep their attention. It is almost like, as a teacher, you are on stage, and they are your audience. You have to keep them focused.”
That same technology would be used when schools closed in the midst of COVID. What began as a few papers being sent to students soon developed into videos and online communication.
“Those tools helped tremendously,” Perry said. “But with a subject like chemistry, you have to be on the board, showing your students the lessons. They can’t just read it in a book. They have to see you work the lessons. That is when I knew that I had to make some videos.”
Videos…something Perry admits she has never done.
“It took me four times to do the first video,” she said. “After a while, I was spitting them out.”
Perry’s main goal was for her students to stay in line with what they were learning before COVID hit. She did not want them to get frustrated and discouraged with the subject material.
“Those first Zoom meetings were exciting because the kids were so happy to see each other,” Perry said. “This was at the time when we thought we might return to normal. We had no idea this was the new normal.”
But even though it was a totally unfamiliar situation, there were some positive sides to it, Perry said.
“The kids were starting to become more independent,” she said. “They were more responsible for their own success. And it taught them the importance of communication. I had deadlines, and some of these kids couldn’t make those because they were working. A lot of kids had parents who had farms, and they had to get out and work because the workers weren’t there. At that point, they had to email and communicate with me so we could work something out. Hopefully, they can carry those few lessons on as adults.”
With grades in and summer on the horizon, Perry is happy to report that her students maintained their steady grades. Her hard work and dedication to keep them on that path paid off.
“Especially with chemistry,” she added. “I am so proud of how they performed. They never complained and did what was asked of them in a difficult situation. They are such a success.”
