May 6, 2021
By Emilia Calabrese
Staff Writer
As a result of Covid-19, students and teachers have had to adapt to remote learning. While students who remain virtual have gotten used to new methods and approaches for learning, they still face challenges.
Some find it difficult to concentrate and focus from the comfort of their own home. Family members or other noises at home can also cause distractions.
Senior Allison McKerry, who now attends school in person, said remote learning had a negative effect on her school year.
“Remote learning definitely makes it harder to understand and learn new things because it’s hard to stay focused during class when you are at home as well as harder to take [it] seriously,” McKerry said.
She said she appreciates being safe in a pandemic but believes online learning comes at the expense of missing out on the experience of being a normal student.
“I miss seeing [all] my friends and classmates in school and actually being able to interact with people in person,” McKerry said.
Not being able to communicate with classmates in person on a daily basis can be hard on students’ mental health over time. Students can experience feelings of isolation as a result of remote learning.
Sophomore Cecelia Valdez, who is studying virtually, also said not being able to interact with her classmates in a traditional school environment has had a negative impact on her education.
“Remote learning is the most disconnected way of learning, which does not help us students,” Valdez said.
She said staring at a screen for long periods of time and repeating the same routine at home every day can take a toll on teens’ mental health.
“Remote learning is affecting me negatively because I am cooped up in my room in front of a screen all day,” Valdez said. “And then to have homework after sitting at your computer for four hours straight, just to be at your computer even more.”
Some find it difficult to concentrate and focus from the comfort of their own home. Family members or other noises at home can also cause distractions.
Valdez said being around her family more and being able to bond with them is nice, but she does not enjoy doing the same routine over and over again. She said remote learning puts more pressure on students because a lot of the time students are expected to learn more than they normally do.
“Especially kids who always try to do their best in school and get good grades, they naturally just put more pressure on themselves to still be perfect,” Valdez said.
English teacher Ms. DiMaggio said it is hard to make sure students are staying busy and concentrating.
“It has been challenging to find ways of keeping students engaged with remote learning,” DiMaggio said. “Teachers cannot see what students are doing at home. Students could have other distractions at home, such as other family members, noise.”
Some students may find remote learning more difficult, but DiMaggio said she strives to make the situation less stressful.
“[I] post upcoming dates for the next few weeks including what is due on each day, what we will do in each class and what the homework is. I put this schedule in the stream of Google Classroom to make it more organized for my students,” DiMaggio said. “I try to keep things consistent in my classes to make it easier for students.”
