The Crier Wants to Know: do you feel like you’re still learning during remote learning?

It’s safe to say adjusting to remote learning has been a difficult task for everyone in the Conant community. Although remote learning is nothing like being in-person for class, it’s also far from what students experienced in the spring of last year with e-learning. All of the changes in what the “classroom” has looked like over the past calendar year, and the adjustments everyone has had to make to adapt to them, have been jarring. We wanted to know if students feel like they are still learning in the most recent setting of remote learning.  

 

Anaya Deshmukh, ’24

I do not feel like I am learning anything during remote learning. [Class on Zoom] is starting to feel less like a race for knowledge and more like a race against the clock. We don’t have enough time, and every day feels the same.

 

 

Christian Rettig, ’23 (no photo)

Yes, I do feel like I’m still learning during remote learning, but I know I could be learning better by being in school. Being in the classroom and by extension the building, I could get more immediate attention from my teachers and more effective help as the teachers can only do so much while interacting through a computer interface. In classes where you need to interact with others (and that is all classes) it’s easy for people to turn off their cameras and mute themselves so when we’re put into breakout rooms designed for people to work together, nothing gets done unless someone says something. It gets frustrating sometimes when no one wants to start. 

 

Pal Shah, ’22

Yes, I’m learning a lot of new stuff during remote learning because I pay attention, but not everyone does. Some students are on their phones when we are in the breakout rooms. When there is a test, some students just cheat. There is no use if students are going to cheat and not pay attention. 

 

Katelin (Katie) Cornet, ’21

Being quite frank, I don’t – not in the same way at least. I’m learning to copy things from notes to worksheet blanks a little faster than before, and I’m learning how to multitask during a lecture to complete home responsibilities simultaneously. It’s expected though, that how we learn won’t look the same as six months ago and we (students AND staff) can only do so much with our individual bandwidths given the situation. I think it’s so important that we keep that in mind because you don’t ever know the situation of another person in your Zoom class and what they could be going through.

 

Vicki Chriske-Hines, French teacher

I think [students] need to have a little bit more academic integrity than usual. It’s a little bit more on students now to stay focused and to be honest. All in all, I think students can still learn in this situation. I wouldn’t prefer it, I mean I’d like to have students here, but I think it’s doable.