Who knew we’d be living in a time like this? Where a lingering virus, namely the Coronavirus, occupies the streets. Masks are being worn as a form of protection, families are frantically buying groceries, and vaccines are chaotically being sought; the sound of a sneeze has the ability to stress the person right next to you out. In an attempt to decrease Coronavirus cases, schools around the country have been closed as it’s a hotpot for big groups, which equate to greater risks.
So, what does education look like now?
Many students in high school have been using a popular platform called Zoom, a video-conferencing enterprise, to attend classes with their fellow classmates without the risk of transmission of Coronavirus. Although classes aren’t taught in person, material is still being distributed in hopes of having the student miss out as little as possible on crucial information about their current class. Students would be given a set of assignments to turn in on a day-to-day basis or a week-to week basis to make sure they’re caught up with the lesson for that week.
Sounds simple, right? Well, some students strongly dislike virtual learning- along with many teachers. A common disadvantage of virtual learning is the disruptive environment a student can be in, whether that’d be children in the background or outside activities that would take place during class. A problem that seems to reside among many teachers is the reliability of virtual learning itself- are the students really understanding the concept? Tests and quizzes are hard to assign during the pandemic simply because of the honor system. Although currently, reaching out online is the best way to move the curriculum forward, it’s also the best way to get information assessment topics.
On the other hand, virtual learning does seem to have its upsides. For those who struggle to process information during class, virtual learning allows students to learn at their own pace. Videos can be repeated as many times as possible, assignments can be done without the stress of a clock, and friends can be reached out to for clarification at a moment’s notice. It also allows students to take mental break days rather than working from day to night, which is a huge problem within the education system.
So what will the pandemic do to high school juniors? It was announced that more colleges than not will not require the SAT/ACT tests for the class of 2021. The reason being is that many SAT/ACT centers have been closed because students would usually be in a room no more than two feet apart for three hours. The CDC recommends students to be at least six feet apart from each other. The overall application of a student will merely be viewed in context of how their school graded students due to the pandemic and the activities they’ve done throughout their high school careers.
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