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It is September 2020, and students of all ages prepare almost every day for virtual school that is now on an online platform.
On Aug. 6, the Montgomery County Board of Education held a meeting to talk about the county’s rough draft plan for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. The Board voted to approve to reopen virtually on Aug. 31 and enforce online-learning for the first semester. They plan to meet again in November to see if they can allow in-person instruction, depending on the coronavirus.
This new online learning had an effect on a lot of students in Montgomery County, especially middle schoolers. This semester, more new rules are enforced in class (such as turning on cameras, being ready for Zoom classes, etc.) and there are organized schedules and weekly plans so that this year is not as carefree as last year.
According to a survey of 16 seventh graders and two eighth-graders, 50% felt calm about online learning, 33.3% were confused and 27.8% were unhappy and frustrated. 16.7% said they are content in this environment, and the same amount were worried. 11.1% did not really like school that much, so they felt abhorrence. One respondee filled in their own answer.
When asked if they thought school would go hybrid after the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, 38.9% of the applicants thought “no” while 50% were not really sure. Additionally, the remaining 11.1% thought that school was going to be held in-person.
What many applicants liked about virtual school was the freedom they had at home, such as not having to get up earlier. It was also easier to access items, and they did not have to carry a binder around. But there were many downfalls of this learning environment the students disliked. For example, many didn’t like that they were not able to socialize with their friends as often as they did in school before. Some did not like how virtual platforms are confusing and sitting in front of the computer for the whole day.
Although a lot of students have been through dynamic and rigorous virtual learning for around three weeks, it still has an impact on life.
Cabin John Middle School seventh-grader Sophia Xue feels calm but confused about virtual school taking place.
“Online learning is okay with me. It’s a nice change of how we learn. However, I am sometimes still wondering about how things are going to work. For example, I’m not sure if we are going to return back to school or not. If we are, what would our schedule be like?” Xue said.
Xue enjoys staying at home but does not like that there are not enough chances to socialize with friends and also does not enjoy sitting in front of the computer for long amounts of time.
However, Xue said, “I don’t mind the current situation too much. If I could change something, I would want for us to be able to go out again without having to wear masks.”
Another Cabin John Middle School seventh-grader, Janet Tian, feels neutral but tired about this online platform. She thought that she “was ready for school” but ended up being tired from wanting to gain more sleep, instead of waking up earlier like usual.
“I have no idea when school is going to start and what will happen then,” Tian said, expressing confusion about if her school will adopt a hybrid schedule.
Although there and pros and cons to having this virtual environment, Tian has only one con: turning on cameras in Zoom. When having her camera turned on, Zoom becomes glitchy so she cannot listen to the online instruction and what peers have to say.
“It would be helpful [to turn off my camera] because turning on cameras causes more glitches and important information could be missed,” Tian said.
She also wants the virus to be gone because she would “want to go back to school normally and have a normal schedule.”
Although vaccines are still in production, students will hopefully be able to experience in-person learning soon, but it will not be the same as before. For now, going through this virtual environment is safer, but many are still wondering what this year will have in hand and how everything is going to work.
Article by Qwyen Le of Cabin John Middle School
Photo courtesy of Julia M Cameron via Pexel