Following the decision from the MCPS Board of Education to make masks optional in schools on Mar. 8, a number of teachers chose to go maskless, as students and staff were given the option to take a step toward pre-Covid normalcy. After attending classes with a mask mandate in place for a significant portion of the school year, learning in a mask-optional environment was a change students had to adjust to.

Students may prefer teachers who maintain mask-wearing in the classroom for safety purposes. A teacher choosing to continue wearing a mask despite the lifting of the mask mandate can also act as an indicator to students that choosing to continue utilizing a face covering is acceptable. “I feel more comfortable when [teachers] do have a mask on because it’s a good example for the kids, even though the mandate was lifted, because it’s still beneficial to stay vigilant about it. Students can be reckless when they aren’t wearing masks,” senior Nadya Al-Arief said.

The pandemic has often come to affect different people in distinct ways, resulting in a variety of responses to the lifting of the mask mandate. For this reason, in MCPS’ Mar. 8 statement announcing mask-wearing becoming optional, the county also introduced its “Masks: On or Off, It is Just Me” campaign to promote respect for people’s mask-wearing choices. Despite preferring a masked learning experience, Al-Arief reflects this understanding for teachers’ decisions to teach with or without masks on. “I respect people who don’t put on masks because everyone has their own reasons. Some people have medical conditions, but I feel like it just creates a good precedent [for a teacher to wear a mask],” Al-Arief said.

Senior Eknoor Kaur said she feels comfortable in a classroom environment regardless of the teacher’s mask choice and does not feel it has a significant influence on the learning experience, as it has more to do with a teacher’s personal situation. “Every individual has their own personal reasons for why they should wear a mask or not wear a mask. In this case, I believe that teachers should be their own judges whether they feel safe to take their masks off, or not safe and keep their masks on,” Kaur said.

Other students prefer their teachers going maskless, as the lack of a facial covering allows them to feel more connected to their instructors in a classroom environment. “Learning with masks off makes school feel more comfortable. You don’t really know a person behind a mask. You have to see a person to connect. You can’t learn in an environment with faces being masked,” sophomore Vincent Green said.

Green said he believes the barrier to social connection created by continuing to wear face masks extends beyond teachers and into student relationships as well. “I do understand the reason people wear [masks], but when people were trying to make new friends or talk to people, it was difficult because no one knew what anyone looked like,” Green said.