Keep Going!!! Zoom Through!!

Our nation’s education system has led almost every individual to a computer screen for the past 6 months! The final words of “see you in two weeks” that my teacher had so kindly left quickly shifted to “two months” to “six months” and now...what’s next?

If you are reading this blog, you have most likely been affected by the pandemic in some way, especially if you are a student!

For my introverts in the classroom, avoiding eye contact with the teacher is no longer an issue - it is now breakout rooms! Being trapped in a room with students that you didn’t even know attended your school for ten minutes in awkward silence really shapes the perspective for that collaborative English class.

For my extroverts in the classroom, it has now become more difficult than ever to share that funny meme that was on Twitter with the math teacher during nutrition or break. Simply having your camera on as opposed to the rest of the class does not allow you to have that shining moment to talk to the teacher...especially during a screen share.

Throughout the past 6 months, because of this new change in our learning environment, I have noticed a decrease in engagement from my fellow peers - introverts and extroverts. These days, everyone just has their cameras turned off and muted through the entire class period, leaving the teacher confused as to how they can help with our studies. Yes, there are occasional responses in the chat and reactions, but I think we can all agree that there is a lack of the unique feeling that you’d get in a physical classroom.

So what do students do behind their screens when their cameras and mics are off? Did they roll out of bed to just leave the zoom going to go back to bed? Are they making their morning breakfast in front of that biology class? Or are they paying attention as expected? What could they be doing?

I encourage all those reading this blog and the fellow students of our nation to turn on your camera and unmute yourself to start a conversation next time rather than typing in the chat - it really is the next best thing! At the moment, for K-12 students, it does not seem that schools will be reopening (at least in the LA area) for the rest of the year, so we must make the best of what we have, and at the moment, it is via zoom! Keep going!!! You are so great to have come this far! Continue to persevere and we can thrive in our academics even in quarantine!