The second semester of the school year has been one to remember. There have been changes to our learning system that greatly affect how well students learn. The biggest and most problematic change without a doubt has been online learning. Initially, everyone was excited to see how it would function, but four weeks in, it has proven itself to be not as effective or helpful compared to being physically present in the classroom.
When transitioning to online learning for the remainder of the school year, there was a great curiosity. Nobody knew how this would mesh with hectic, personal schedules. According to npr.org, in a survey of 849 teenagers conducted by Common Sense Media alongside Survey Monkey, 41 percent say they have not attended a single online class and 47 percent of those students are public school kids.
Schools also never take into account just how different all of our lives are. While some students do have the time to dedicate to school and get all of their work done ahead of time, others do not have that same luxury. Many students still have jobs during this social change and are struggling to balance their work with their schooling. Also, many students have younger siblings they have to look after and they have to worry about feeding them and taking care of them.
Another obvious factor is the stress of having to complete all of this schoolwork while still having to worry about what is happening with your family during these times of crisis. According to the previously mentioned survey, 4 out of 5 teens are continuously keeping up with news regarding the COVID-19 issue. Over 60 percent of students are too worried about what will happen to their parents or their loved ones in the event that they contract the virus.
The online school system is just unfair to students. Students should not be graded as strict as before or be expected to perform at as high of a level as they used to. The effect this will have on our generation in the long-run will be obvious as they will not understand things that they would have learned in the classroom. They cannot freely ask questions to teachers who are there to guide us through the topic or lesson. An email or a video chat will never be enough to replace the physical presence of someone who is there to mentor and teach you things.