Does this year's "back to school" feel more familiar and routine compared to the previous years?

Question

When I read this article that emphasized the return to a more traditional school experience, I wondered if this sense of normalcy had returned. This year's return to school felt a little more familiar and routine than previous years, with more in-person classes and extracurricular activities starting up again. I also thought back to the previous years with COVID and other issues and how they affected the overall school experience, even the "back to school" feeling. So I began to research and found many articles, such as the one I had read, and many around COVID times, such as from 2021, 2022, and beyond, that discussed the challenges and changes in education during those times. It did bring up this point and made me wonder how if at all still felt in 2024 and see if anyone else wondered about the lasting impact of those difficult times on the education system.

Answer 1

The notion that "back to school" is more familiar and routine this year than previously is a phenomenon that can't be explained scientifically. Also, the NYTimes article is from 2022 and not 2024. However, it's generally agreeable that as COVID precautions were removed we could go back to a similar status quo of educational practice.