Virtual Schooling as a Result of COVID-19

Student in front of a computer
with her hands over her face.

The world of virtual learning and online schooling has reshaped education and this abrupt change has caused many new problems for students and teachers. Students who are learning online are now falling behind since the pandemic. Virtual schooling has caused students to feel alone and not being able to see their classmates has resulted in decreased motivation to learn. Children have a hard time staying focusing on a screen all day, and on top of that, their home environments can cause additional distractions that would not be present in the classroom. This is all affecting children's academics and social and emotional development. It has also exacerbated the divide in the digital equity gap, where children from low-income families are being impacted worse. Low-income families may not have the same advanced technology as higher-income families. "In high-poverty schools, 1 in 3 teachers report their students are significantly less prepared for grade-level work this year compared with last year, according to a report by the RAND Corporation". This is extremely important in the education field because this divide has been making these problems worse and it shows the need to improve online learning. Teachers should be more focused on building off of children's interests and fostering peer connections through screens. 

I believe that the topic of virtual schooling has become increasingly important since the coronavirus pandemic hit. I experienced virtual schooling firsthand when I was sent home two years ago and thrown into online learning. COVID has brought so much uncertainty to students and teachers and both are still navigating how to effectively teach and learn through a screen. Even after two years, although I have some in-person classes, I still have some all-online classes. I still feel like my online classes are not only more challenging to pay attention to, but have placed extra stress on me. Especially for my classes that do not make us turn on our cameras, I find myself even more distracted and less inclined to listen. When I was in high school, those were my favorite years because I got to see my friends every day, so I could understand the feelings of loneliness and stress that students are facing with virtual learning.