Covid-19 forces SD Students to Convert to Distance Learning
November 5, 2020
Due to the current pandemic, San Dimas High School has closed its doors. Although this has not stopped the students from learning this year, it has been made significantly harder to do so. The students and staff have adopted a new way of learning, one that is safe for everyone and still provides a good education. Distance learning has been established and although some may prefer it over the normal way of schooling, most would say that they’re not enjoying it.
It can be seen that the online way of learning does affect the students’ grades. “There are a lot of changes this year and students are learning in a format that they aren’t used to. This, on top of a pandemic, would be overwhelming for anyone,” SDHS Counselor Jessica Guerrero said.
The new learning format can and will produce issues. Guerrero goes on to say, “I think our students are doing the best they can to stay connected, but not being here on campus has its challenges.” I think our students are doing the best they could to stay connected but not being here on campus has its challenges. — Jessica Guerrero
One of the challenges that have come from not being on campus would be finding the right working environment. Most students have figured out ways to make it work for them, but it is not flawless, due to uncontrollable circumstances. “I’m not in a good learning environment at home like I would be at school, so it’s easy to get distracted,” junior, Jackie Delgado commented. It is almost impossible to eradicate everything that could become a distraction for a student.
Even when a student finds a good environment to work in, with the number of things going on in the world, it would still be very difficult to learn. Delgado went on to say that, even if she was in the right environment, it would still be “just as hard because staring at a computer all day isn’t the same as being in a class with others who are learning what I’m learning. I feel like being next to, and in a class with other people improves my focus and willingness to learn.” Although many people seem to agree with Delgado’s statement, some students would disagree with her words.
“I chose distance learning because I’ve noticed that I’ve been able to hang out with my friends more than before,” junior, Emma Paddon said, “and when online I can do multiple things at once and still learn.” Paddon is among a small group of students who believes that distance learning is better than in-person learning. Even though she prefers distance learning, Paddon recognizes that most of her peers miss the in-person learning environment. “I know a few people that agree with my points but at the same time I think most of us still miss in-person teaching,” she continued to say.
While there is no telling of when students will be able to go back to in-person teaching, both the staff and students hope for the day when they can walk back on our SDHS campus. Even parents would like that day to come as soon as it is possible to safely do so. “Yes, they are learning but I think it is very superficial learning. Students are not gaining the benefit of having group discussions or hearing other students’ questions,” SDHS parent Erica Navarro said. Navarro is one of the thousands of parents who want their children to go back to a regular education system as soon as possible.
Coronavirus has taken many things from people’s daily lives and has caused much pain. Even though it has been hard, it has also proven that students are stronger and more capable than was believed before and that they will all pull through these hard times.