Students Adjust Online, Prefer In-Person

It’s been a month since New Haven public schools closed to limit transmission of COVID-19. That’s a month without sports, without in person classes, and without being able to consistently see other students. Alternatively, it’s been a month with more sleep, more free time, and freedom to set one’s own schedule.

To learn how my fellow high school students are feeling about ​“distance learning,” and to find out what they would improve about online schooling, I emailed a survey to students at Hillhouse High School, Career, Cooperative Arts & Humanities, and High School in the Community. Fifty-two students responded.

When I asked about the positives of learning from home, there were a few common answers.

Most students responded with some variation of how they are enjoying ​“getting to sleep in,” ​“not having to wake up ridiculously early,” and ​“having a sleep schedule that doesn’t require waking up at 6 a.m.”

Students emphasized other positives as well. Senior Tovah Lu said she enjoys ​“being able to occupy [herself] during virtual classes, like being able to make brownies or bread during my English class.” Sophomore Rhea Mctiernan Huge said she appreciates having ​“a bit more time to learn other skills” and do creative projects.

Some students said they enjoy the flexibility that comes with distance learning. As Daneisia Powell put it, ​“I can do my work whenever I want.” Sergio Carrion declared that without anyone to dress up for, “[I’m enjoying] waking up and doing my schoolwork” while ​“still in my pjs in the comfort of my own room.”

Thumbs Down

Despite flexibility and additional sleep, only six students out of the more than 50 I surveyed expressed a generally positive view of online school.

Many had harsh criticisms. As one sophomore, who wished to remain anonymous, succinctly put it: ​“It’s shit, and I’m extremely unfocused, and I miss my friends.”

When I asked about the challenges of distance learning, I received a diverse set of heated complaints in response.

• ​“I’ve had difficulty contacting and unclear instructions from my teachers.”
• ​“If I don’t understand a concept, it’s difficult to teach it to myself.”
• ​“Watching paint dry is more interesting than some of the work that I’m assigned.”
• ​“Many of my teachers don’t even answer my emails.”
• ​“It’s very hard to motivate myself and it isn’t as simple to get help when I need it.”

When asked what their favorite aspect of online schooling is, nearly a quarter of students responded ​“nothing.”

Many students didn’t express strong feelings about distance learning, with roughly a third reporting feeling ​“neutral” about learning from home so far. But the majority of students I surveyed said that they preferred in person classes.

As school teachers and administrators struggle to deal with shifting an entire learning system online, student feedback will be critical to ensuring equitable and successful educational outcomes.

How To Improve It

When asked, ​“What are some things that could be done to improve your online educational experience?” students had a couple of main ideas.

First, they want their teachers to stop assigning work that is easy but time consuming. As one student put it, ​“Teachers are just assigning busy work and it’s dreadful. Some teachers still do show commitment to their students, but sadly some just flood Google Classroom with notifications,” posting assignments seemingly just for the sake of assigning work.

Second, they want leniency and a lighter workload, in light of the chaotic and complicated times we are all living through.

“Teachers need to realize that it is practically impossible to have the same work ethic or attention to academics as one does at school. … This is a scary time, and people can’t be expected to focus and write like they usually do,” a Cross senior said.

Another student remarked that ​“because of the objective brunt of this virus we should be getting a little more slack .… Maybe a lot more.”

Third, students want to have the opportunity to attend classes via video conference, but do not want to be required to do so.

Difficulties with home life are also making distance learning a struggle for some.

Johanyx Rodriguez told me, ​“The most challenging part about learning from home is having to babysit when I have class work due. All the adults in my family are considered essential workers, so it makes me the only responsible person to babysit my 3‑year old nephew.”

Many students lack strong and consistent internet connections, making accessing work a major issue. Federico Lora, a Wilbur Cross junior, told me that he’s finding it difficult to complete work for his computer science class from a home with spotty WiFi. Anaisa Burgos said that it’s ​“pretty hard getting access to a computer, since my mother and I share a computer, and she has a lot of things to do, just like me.” And language barriers can make already difficult situations even more complicated.

One student, Adama Modi, told me that for an ESL [English as a Second Language] student, having online education is very challenging,” especially in math.

Distractions

Finally, for students directly impacted by the virus, keeping up their school work can seem like an absurd task. One student said that they ​“have family members going through battles with coronavirus,” and while dealing with the added stress of total social isolation they do not feel especially motivated to complete the ​“50 assignments and two essays” they have due.

A fairly common sentiment was that not much can be done to improve online learning, because, as one student declared, ​“Honestly there’s no way that online education can be made into a good thing” – according to many teenagers, by its very nature online learning is isolating, difficult, and unpleasant, and not much can be done to change that basic truth.

Students emphasized, however, that while they feel frustrated with many aspects of online learning, they deeply appreciate the effort of the teachers and administrators who are trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

As Wilbur Cross junior Ali Collins said, ​“My teachers are doing the absolute best they can given the circumstances; while obviously when you are teaching hundreds of students it’s a huge challenge, my teachers are still managing to make me feel like I matter. And online learning is making me appreciate in person classes more than ever. I miss interacting with the teachers I love.”

With school closed until at least May 20th, likely the rest of the year, and potentially into the fall, administrators, teachers, and elected officials will continue to face difficult choices surrounding the structure and form of distance learning in the weeks to come.

The Board of Alders Education Committee is meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to review the future of the city’s public education system, given the coronavirus pandemic. (Details here.)