Dear Teachers of America,
My name is Sprocket. I am a High School senior from Raisbeck Aviation High School in Washington State, who is spending their last first semester learning from home. It was mid March when we received the announcement. It was the last period of the day, and it had been ruled that, with the rise of Coronavirus, our district was closing schools for at least the next month. Now we are nearing the end of 2020 and online schooling has taken over, something that would have been impossible without the rapid advancements in technology that have taken place within even the last 10 years. It’s great that students can still learn, but before them lies a plethora of issues that not only inhibit their productivity and learning, but also can harm their health. Now fair warning, this is a long piece addressing these issues with a multitude of ideas and suggestions. I am also a student, not a teacher, so this evidence and analysis is from that point of view. As our educators, I believe it is important for you all to understand these issues, as with that we can collectively work to improve the system that we are inevitably going to be stuck with until we are able to return to school normally. My hope is that by explaining how students are doing and providing suggestions from the point of view of a student, we can make online learning something that is not just livable, but beneficial and less painful for all involved.
As a student, I’ve heard both the hatred and love for online schooling in the last few months, but rarely have I heard of any of peers sharing their opinions with teachers. If we are going to create a working system, it is absolutely necessary for us to communicate so you can understand how we’re feeling and handling the situation. An article out of The New York Times provided something that really stood out to me: a broad collection of views on learning during quarantine. The article was titled “‘I Can't Believe I am Going to Say This, but I Would Rather Be at School,” and acknowledged though there are definite advantages of online schooling, there are also many issues. Those such as Samuel and Anna Rogers (ages 12) state that “...[they] get to hang around family more...” and that “...[they] don't have to do any homework if [they] get all their work done for the day,” but there are those who are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
I side more with Jasper Smith (age 17), who claims that “over the last few days, [they’ve] had more work than [they] would usually have if schools weren’t closed - and [they] have to do it all sitting in the same spot for hours.” I definitely have felt this, and especially with college applications coming up, I have seemingly endless deadlines on top of important calculus tests of information I’m still frantically trying to wrap my head around. Even if I have good intentions for studying, I find myself needing a distraction from the insurmountable stress, and struggle with motivation issues while being at home. This often just ends up with me needing to restudy and retake tests. It’s definitely a district by district and teacher by teacher dilemma, but in my school district, we are doing 3 period quarters, with a semester of content jammed into the quarter. This means that we have to cram in content to squeeze in passing grades for the test, immediately moving on to the next subject right after. I also sit in the same spot for work and leisure, and it’s honestly been driving me insane. On top of the stress of other things, online schooling has been mostly an excruciating experience for me since we’ve started this school year.
Discussing personal feelings is one way to understand how students are doing, but in order to get the full picture, it’s important to look at issues visible through statistics. Just the other day There was a report on Science Direct under the title “The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey” that piqued my interest. It stated that during this quarantine situation, 13% of students delayed their graduation, 40% lost job or internship offers, and gave insight to the pessimism of students. The report stated that 29% of people surveyed, out of a sample size of 1500 students, expected to earn less at 35. This says a few things. First, keeping up with school is becoming a lot harder, as reflected by delayed graduation. Second, it's hard to stay on track and find opportunities. Businesses are having a hard enough time with keeping their own employees, let alone dealing with interns, which makes it harder for students to find the critical internships that give them such vital work experience. Third, the pessimism that the students have for the future displays the stress that they hold about the uncertainty of their future, regardless of the likelihood that their fears may become reality. Regardless of how advanced our technology has become, students are undeniably suffering through a period of immense stress and difficulty that requires understanding and accommodation by their teachers. It's not just adults who are fearful for the uncertain future, it’s also those who are about to be forced into a changing world and now might not have the tools and opportunities that they need to succeed.
With the immense pressure and uncertainty, we as students can let that stress drown us. In the past when I have felt such overwhelming stress, I have found it difficult to stay focused, and as a result difficult to learn. This is the fault of our brains. An author known as Zaretta Hammond broke down how our brain actually learns in their book “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” describing that when we feel a “social or physical threat,” our brain’s amygdala naturally sends a distress signal “in the form of the stress hormone cortisol.” What is so important about this hormone is that when it is released, “other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop.” Since the point of being a student is to learn and to apply problem solving skills, I believe it is necessary for you as a teacher to understand the stress of students as well as possible threats in the learning environment. Since we’re not at school, it is harder to read emotions and address any issues the student may be dealing with at home, but this means it's all the more important to communicate with students, checking on how they are doing, and how they feel.
As a student I’ve noticed something else. It can be overly difficult to get in contact with my classmates, and work on things together away from school. This is another topic Zaretta Hammond talks about in “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” stating that that rooted in our deep culture are the archetypes, “collectivism” and “individualism.” She explains that “...our brains are wired to favor a communal view of the world” and that though European cultures are more centered around the individualistic mindset, “...the collectivist worldview is common among Latin America, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and many Slavic cultures.”
The idea that some people work better through collaboration, while others are better at just cranking out work on their own is not necessarily new, but it emphasizes the idea that learning collectively by working with classmates is a key part of the way the education system should function. I read the Medium article “Is Technology Making Us Lazy?” that argued that “communication technology has largely produced more good than harm,” and I wholeheartedly agree. The writer, Jacob Nelson, has explained that it has helped us with “keeping in touch,” “doing business,” “overcoming disabilities,” and “reaching a broader audience.” Of course now it has enabled us to do schooling through programs such as Zoom, but it is important to realize that though the ability to communicate is there, it is not nearly as painless as if we were to come to school in person. All of the mini-interactions we may have had that do everything from building new friendships to easing our stress are gone. Instead, conversations are usually emails with direct questions and breakout rooms with assigned work, which of course usually end up in awkward silence after the first few minutes.
This is not to say that as a teacher you are responsible if your class lacks communal discussion and interaction. It is the students' fault if they choose to not participate; however, I think it would be beneficial for you to make sure to encourage discussion and group work when you can in class if you aren’t already. By developing assignments and course plans that aren’t just worksheets to grind out and by making sure that they establish a strong connection and understanding, schooling during this quarantine situation will be much better for all involved. In the book “Biology of Belief,” Dr. Bruce Lipton reminds us that “...the cooperative accomplishments of human civilization have taken us to the Moon and beyond,” which speaks to the fact that we should most definitely not underestimate the power of collective work, especially in the world of education. Dr. Lipton also explains how he taught a group of medical students in Montserrat, who had failed at gaining entry into medical schools in the United States. He gave an exam to those students, where the highest score earned on the test was a mere 50%. He told his students after that “[he] thought they were every bit as intelligent as the students [he] taught in the States,” and continued to teach them, discovering that by the final test they were scoring similarly to “their ‘elite’ counterparts in the States.” His theory on this was that “instead of mirroring smart American medical students, they mirrored the behavior of smart cells, banding together to become even smarter.” By working together, a group of students that were prior seen as incompetent, were able to perform an “academic miracle.” This is true with a lot of the work that I’ve done in class, from peer reviews on papers, to group studying. Together we can combine our strengths to teach one another and learn fast, but with Zoom, a lot of this collaboration can be lost. This is why I strongly urge you as teachers to make sure that you try and set up work where students have the option to collaborate. Some students may choose not to participate, but what is important is that the option is there for those who may need it, and that working collectively is encouraged. It’s not only a matter of how some people learn best, it’s also a way to learn information more quickly. This is especially vital given the accelerated pace that some of you are forced to teach at.
Now think about who else right now relies on services such as Zoom for collaborative work. Have you considered the fact that many other people are working from home? Working as a team on projects during COVID-19 is something that a lot of people are struggling with in the workplace right now, as doing such is entirely new, just like with online schooling. As such, managers have had to come up with ways to help their stressed employees through, and make sure that they can get as much done as possible in such an odd time, while staying connected with those you work with, building trust. Harvard Business Review put out an interesting article titled “5 Tips for Communicating with Employees During a Crisis,” restating much of what I have suggested already. The first tip is to “communicate frequently,” finding the positives to highlight in a time where we are being showered in stress and negativity. Next up is to “provide safe channels for giving feedback,” which can help those who may be struggling, or who feel overwhelmed to share their emotions without the scrutiny of others. They also explained how it’s important to “help employees work at home effectively,” which applies to schooling in the sense as being a teacher, you should be making sure that your students have the tools for success in your class. Some students may be lacking resources, or missing some piece of information that would be helpful in completing their work, while some may just need a teacher asking to prompt them to speak up. I know from experience that even though the fear may be unwarranted, it can be hard to speak up. Whether from embarrassment or laziness, I find that more often than not students close themselves up, and by providing safe avenues where they can provide feedback to you, you give them a reason and opportunity for them to open up and discuss how they really feel.
The last two tips from the Harvard Business Review article discuss job security and plans for the future, and though your students might not necessarily be worrying about being laid off, they may be worried about their futures, their loved ones, or anything else that could possibly occur in an unforeseen global pandemic. There is a lot on your plate as a teacher, and sometimes it may be difficult to understand how your students are feeling especially if they don’t want to talk about it. None of this is to say go easy on your students. It’s important that they are still working hard and learning everything they need but I wrote this with hopes that you may be able to better understand them, and to provide some ideas into how you may help set them up for success. Thank you for reading until the end, and I wish the best for all in these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Sprocket Riggs
For the letter with the annotated bibliography, click here!
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