Remote Learning by Emma Liu

 Remote Learning 

By Emma Liu

From March of 2020, students have been forced to learn remotely inside their homes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As both students and teachers transition from school to home, classrooms to bedrooms, this unventured form of learning has taken everyone on new paths that have brought challenges and obstacles along the way. 

Each morning, eyes fighting to open against the glaring sun, student A sluggishly crawls out of bed. Clumsily dragging himself to his desk, he feels his head drift among hazes of sleep. Already late, his stumbling fingers log onto zoom while he attempts to blow the messy strands of clumped hair away from his face. During class, student A’s mind wanders away as he mindlessly swivels around in his chair, uninterested. Boredom overcoming him, his breathing steadies and he shifts to settle down as he sways on the border of sleep. 

Abruptly, out of the corner of his eye, he sees his phone momentarily flash and ping from a notification reminding him that a limited video game update has been released. Sudden excitement gathers up inside of him, and his hands tingle from the thrill as he automatically reaches for the controller and gives in to the temptation. Sensing a new alertness drum through himself, he plays for the whole period. When class is dismissed, student A leaves the virtual meeting clueless about the information learned and unsure of the materials gone over. Soon, this behavior developed into a habit, and student A’s grades slip. Despite feeling the fall, remote learning has left student A unmotivated, and unwilling to connect with his teacher for advice.

For student A’s teacher, Ms. B, her student’s failing grades have not gone unnoticed. During class, Ms. B desperately tries to keep her students attentive and engaged, though she often glimpses flashes of colored light and the edges of a shiny controller briefly slide into the virtual cameras of her students. Ms. B is unable to reach through her device and pause the gaming on her student’s side, which leaves her helpless and unsure of how to approach her student’s struggling grades.

These remote learning experiences have concerned many educators and parents, and a lot can be improved from these experiences. What things can teachers do to encourage interest in students? What can students do to stay motivated and focused? How can teachers and students work together to create a learning environment that promotes growth?