Four years ago, this week was the last day of school for many students in 2020.

“Gov. Reynolds recommends Iowa schools close for four weeks,” governor.iowa.com headlined on March 16, 2020.

While they didn’t know it, they would never return to school that year, missing out on a big part of their school careers. Now, students and teachers are able to look back and see what they learned from such a unique experience.

“It was a normal day,” Michael Lichtenberger, an Abraham Lincoln High School math teacher, said. “We were under the impression that we would return to school.”

Lichtenberger continues to remember important lessons COVID-19 taught him and his students.

“Students need school. They need that routine. When they aren’t in school, they not only miss out on the content, but they also miss social interactions.”

Students agree with Lichtneberger’s thoughts about the school closure. JV Henderson, a senior at ALHS, remembers what he learned from the pandemic.

“You can’t take things for granted,” Henderson said. “I took school for granted, and the online learning put me behind in classes and caused me to start failing.”

Henderson remembered his plans for the school year.

“I had trades, and I wanted to do well there, but it was hard to pay attention online,” Henderson said.

While missing school had negative effects on students’ learning, most teachers and students understand the importance of leaving school for public health.

“To flatten the curve, you would have to close for a long time,” Justin Heckman, a physics teacher at ALHS said. “I knew if that was what they were going to do, we would have to close down for much longer than two weeks.”

While he believed it necessary, Heckman remembers the struggles he and other teachers experienced with teaching online.

“Teaching during the hybrid year would be like trying to build a plane, while you were flying it,” Heckman said.

Four years ago was the last day of school for many. When you take a moment to remember the challenges of COVID-19, what did the school closure and pandemic teach you?