Virtual Learning: What's the verdict one month in?

by Anne Moser and Kendall Daniels

As we venture past the six-month mark of the pandemic, it’s becoming more and more apparent that COVID-19 has had far greater societal effects than any other virus in modern years. Even as we start returning back to day-to-day life, the effects of the pandemic will not disappear. One of the most prominent changes across the nation has been the function and practices of public school systems. Considering the wide variety of pandemic public education models, we’re witnessing an unprecedented lack of unity regarding the function of schools in our nation. Even within Montgomery county, it’s evident that each school is handling virtual learning differently, and this is especially perpetuated by the pre-existing social culture at each individual school.

Damascus High School has arguably experienced the most change as a result of the pandemic-- the social culture of the school has changed drastically over the past few years as a result of the building of Hallie Wells, resulting in more Clarksburg-area kids attending high school at Damascus. Damascus, a predominantly conservative school in the past, is now more divided than ever before, not only due to student population change, but also formerly-moderate students experiencing shifts in political ideology due to recent events. When asked about the political dynamic at Damascus, junior Kayla Russell said that “kids with certain political beliefs stick to ‘their’ people,” so there is no space or opportunities for respectful conversation that would benefit both parties, which to her is “truly saddening” as someone who has lived in Damascus since kindergarten. This change in school culture has further deteriorated an already faint sense of unity, and the strong divide between the student body is now unignorable, which is heightening the negative feelings towards such an isolated year. Controversy has also sparked recently after a student used Nazi propoganda as their Zoom background. School spirit at Damascus is low, physically evident in the lack of participation in virtual spirit events.

Luckily, Damascus is seeing a spike in new clubs and organizations this year, including the revival of a Young Liberals Club, Damascus C4 (Combating Childhood Cancer Club), and a schoolwide chapter of MoCo4Change. Existing clubs and sports at Damascus appear to have adapted in a variety of different manners, with the drama club participating in virtual improv lessons, sports teams having socially distant and virtual get-togethers, and Tri-M (Damascus’ music honor society) hosting virtual officer elections. 

Outside of politics and clubs, Damascus’ functionality is fairly similar to other schools in the county. Forensics and Honors Chemistry teacher Lisa Voketitis stated that while the first week was tough, she has been able to adapt to this unfamiliar way of teaching by recording labs and having students record the data while watching. While it has been hard to feel as though she’s teaching to plain black boxes, she mentioned that having a white board and large scale periodic table makes a huge difference in creating a feeling of normality. Many students at Damascus feel similarly, and have remarked that while virtual learning can feel repetitive and draining, there are little things they can do to feel more comfortable and motivated; going to different rooms in their homes to do work, waking up early to make a substantial breakfast, doing homework together with friends on FaceTime or Zoom. Unfortunately, the switch to virtual learning appears hardest for freshmen, as the transition from middle school to high school can be overwhelming, especially given how difficult it is to meet new people over a virtual format, feeding into an already strong feeling of isolation for students. When asked if she would change anything about virtual learning, Damascus freshman Jessica Frady said “...for less assignments to be assigned, as it can be overwhelming.”

Meanwhile at Watkins Mill, things seem to be running similarly in terms of academics/clubs, although the drastically different student demographic lends itself to a significantly smoother social dynamic. Despite the arrest of a teacher on the charge of sexual abuse of a minor in late August, school spirit does not appear to be too dampered, with many clubs like the Debate Team, Mock Trial, the Drama Club, and SGA functioning well despite the cirumstances. The Drama Club is planning on performing a fall play, and Debate & Mock Trial (according to students) had a smooth transition to Zoom, with many previous members returning. The SGA, according to junior Mauro Gonzalez, held “an application process like it was a normal year” and is currently in the process of planning elections.

In terms of academics, Watkins Mill students and teachers appear to be adapting in a similar manner to the rest of the county, and many students recognize that virtual learning is by far the safest option right now. When asked if there were any changes he would like to see, Watkins Mill junior Mihir Celly said he would appreciate the implementation of a pass/fail system for at least the first quarter, as he holds a common view that virtual learning is moreso a matter of passing rather than retaining information. Regarding social interaction, junior Mauro Gonzalez stated that besides the occasional breakout room there is not much time to socialize in class, except for in his IB Theory of Knowledge class, where his teacher makes it more of a point to allow students to discuss and debate.

  Teachers around the county have had to adapt to teaching to a screen rather than students.

“Screen teaching is eerily silent. I realize that after 34 years of trying to manage the noise, it's the noise I miss the most,”

said Nancy Shay, a teacher at Richard Montgomery High School. Since most students are muted for the duration of class, there is no familiar background noise, no secret side conversations, no constant pen tapping. The constant noise was part of the reason the classroom felt so alive, and that element is missing during virtual learning. Teachers also have been struggling to get to know their students online. “It is so much harder to get to know our students from a Zoom.” said Toni Kelliger, another teacher at Richard Montgomery. At the beginning of every school year, normally teachers have some kind of “ice-breaker” to help get to know the students, but most of these activities can’t be done over zoom. Additionally, it is a lot harder to have a proper conversation, because instead of people talking over each other, it's mics talking over each other. And though students only get to see their teachers twice a week, teachers see each other even less than that. “So far for teachers, the negative is that we miss each other, we miss comparing notes academically in person, and we miss personal contact with our students.” remarked Fevronia Cresham, a social studies teacher at Wootton. 

Due to the screen prevention of any personal contact between everyone in a class, there is a feeling of isolation between students and teachers. “I think that students feel really isolated during online learning.” freshman Grace Finnegan remarked. “Not being around people makes [online learning] more difficult.” For students, class over zoom means no more looking around the room for a friend in a class, no more popping into a classroom to ask a teacher a question, and no more quick meet-ups with friends between classes. If you don’t know the answer to a question, a friend can’t quickly whisper it to you. Not to mention the many platforms students have to go through; “We’re getting a flow of information from a lot of different places so it’s easy to get overwhelmed,” Aashna Singh, a senior at Wootton, mentioned.  Kayla Song, a Churchill junior said, “I think most students are stressed out because of hard to navigate platforms like Canvas, Zoom, etc.” In addition to Canvas and Zoom, students are juggling using StudentVue, Khan Academy, and AP Classroom, in addition to various other websites teachers are trying out with this new learning format. Freshmen Kaelyn Morandi mentioned another big issue, “Sometimes Canvas can crash when too many people are on it.” This year's massive reliance on technology has caused numerous problems, as it’s not only brand new and easily crash-able, but when something does malfunction communication regarding the problem or possible solutions is extremely challenging.

   On the flip side, both students and teachers acknowledge there is one big pro to virtual learning. Richard Montgomery senior Claire Gellio said, “The biggest pro of online learning is slowing the transmission of COVID-19,” a conclusion that seems to be relatively agreed upon by the students we spoke to. Students and teachers alike recognize that, while online learning has its own set of problems, keeping the coronavirus out of our schools is more important.  Gellio also brought up that “[online learning] allows for us to have a sense of normalcy and routine during this hard period.” Although sitting on zoom for four hours a day is not ideal, it does provide some kind of structure to students’ days. Another advantage has been students’ ability “to work at their own pace,” said Jesús Escobar, a senior at Rockville. Students who enjoy getting their work done quickly have that option, as do students who prefer to work at a slower pace. 

Overall, virtual learning has been an adjustment, no matter where you are in the county. People especially have to juggle their communication with others, a task made more difficult by the lack of in-person contact and the varied online platforms. It is difficult for students and teachers to build a connection through a screen, which acts as a barrier to any sense of normalcy in a learning environment. Not only that, but this new way of learning is challenging the social constructs of schools, and mass societal shifts have changed school cultures. Although this is keeping everyone safe and healthy, it has undoubtedly affected the climate in which we are learning in.