Seeing COVID-19 from a Student's Perspective: Part 3
Over the last few weeks, we’ve had the pleasure to hear the high school and college perspectives of COVID-19. This week, we’re looking at the impact of COVID-19 on teens in middle school! Alexis Johnson attends middle school in Virginia and while she’s worried about the pandemic, being at home with her little brother and dogs have made it hard to fully concentrate on distance learning.
Now that the school year has come and gone, what would you say was your biggest challenge while distance learning?
For me personally, the biggest challenge was being new to my school and not making very many friends or building relationships with my teachers before we were required to do online learning. We didn’t get much notice before schools closed, so I wasn’t able to fully adjust. It was difficult being the new kid during a pandemic.
Looking back, what could have teachers done to make distance learning easier?
In my opinion, it would have been much easier if we could have had Zoom calls where we go over homework. Unlike the classroom, we just got assignments and then turned them in. The chance to go over homework would have helped me understand the material better.
How do you plan to keep up with academics over the summer?
I am choosing to attend summer school offered by my school district because I didn’t learn as much as I did in other grades. During the pandemic, learning just wasn’t the same even though my teachers tried to help us stay on track. I hope to be able to go into the next grade knowing the material I need to succeed in those classes.
How have you been staying in contact with your friends from school?
We mainly use texting and FaceTime. Sometimes we’re able to get on games like ROBLOX to spend time together as online characters and play games.
What do you think about going back to school in the fall?
I want to go back to school because I want to get to know my teachers and learn with classmates. It’s too difficult online to pay attention with my dogs and little brother around. But I am worried because the news says coronavirus is getting worse again and I’m worried about getting sick or getting my family sick.
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