Online Learning–From a Student’s Perspective
We all know that the American school system has its major flaws. Some of these flaws are very evident in online learning. I’m lucky enough to be able to go to a private school, but my school doesn’t work for everyone. While I complain about how my school is in a strange limbo between learning online and in-person, some public school kids have a completely different story. Some of my friends who I’ve grown up with go to public schools, and they’re locked in their bedrooms all day long because they have so much work to do. Online learning is hard for everyone, but my asynchronous friends struggle the most. I’ve talked briefly with them, and the amount of material that they haven’t understood is unbelievable.
My friends are in a rough boat, but they have food on their table, and they aren’t going hungry any time soon. My father recognized that a lot of kids depend on their school to eat 2 out of 3 meals a day. He helped make an amazing system locally through a series of grants which include a couple of food trucks going to different routes, but they don’t feed everyone. The food truck idea was a great idea and it should be expanded to include more of Fredericksburg at least, but ideally Virginia and the rest of the country. So what about those kids who have one parent working 80 hours a week, and the other parent either is not in the picture or got laid off at the beginning of the pandemic and still can’t find a job? These kids have to work minimum-wage jobs and don’t have time for schoolwork that requires constant attention, forcing them to prioritize their family’s survival over their future. They also may not be able to afford a laptop that they need to attend Zoom classes or submit work, because they are spending their money on food or clothes. Kids who don’t have their lives cut out for them have a major disadvantage, and we’re letting it be exaggerated in the time of this pandemic.
We also can’t forget about special needs kids for whom online learning just doesn’t work. Of course, it depends on how much adaptation they need and how supportive their parents are, but online learning ultimately goes against their schedule, which is essential to special needs learners. Their families may not be able to have a personal aide coming to their house every day because they either are immunocompromised or can’t afford it either. My school has been letting smaller children go back to school first because they have a harder time staying concentrated, and our learning disability population is mostly independent so they can benefit from online learning. I think that special needs students are being let back in first, but in the event of another quarantine, the kids with learning disabilities will not have the attention they deserve and not benefit at all.
Being socially isolated and still being expected the same academic rigor is an impossible situation. Online learning has taken a severe toll on my mental health, and I can name dozens of peers for which this is the same. I can’t even imagine being given a pile of material that I need to work through and learn by next Friday, in addition to trying to get food for my family and/or having a learning disability. This pandemic has been unfair to everyone in its own way, but we are messing up our children’s lives by forcing them to participate in sub-par learning. Adults: either improve online school so that everyone can actually learn something, or wait until we can go back to school in-person.
