While elementary school is where children learn to make friends and cherish important childhood memories, the onset of COVID-19 has wiped it away, leaving PV elementary students unmotivated.
The implementation of the hybrid and online learning systems have provided families with unprecedented challenges. With kids alternating days at home, parents are required to stay at home to care for them.
Furthermore, larger families face more chaotic circumstances when they are forced to accommodate every single member. Logistical challenges such as internet issues and sharing devices can lead to tensions between siblings.
Like most PV parents, Alison Holst was concerned about the difficulties her two boys were facing with the new system. “Online schooling definitely has its challenges. There are too many distractions throughout the day. Too many people using the internet at the same time (3 kids and 1 husband). We are still trying to figure out google classroom at times,” affirmed Holst. Additionally, going hybrid has deprived her children of the traditional activities in school like christmas parties and winter concerts.
Specifically, for some students, these activities were their only chance to have a long-lasting memory of their childhood. “My 2 elementary age boys both feel the same way about missing out on activities. They hate it! My 6th grader is worried about missing out on the 6th grade camp out the most,” stated Holst.
For many elementary students, these activities were vital in driving them towards socializing. Especially for younger, more introverted students, the use of masks and social distance has made it challenging to talk to other kids.
In classrooms, teachers have noticed variations in student behavior, often involving their level of participation. Sixth grade teacher, Randy Pischke commented, “The biggest difference in student behavior toward school came at the beginning of the new school year. Students were very quiet and reluctant to share their voice and thinking because wearing a mask in the classroom was new and perhaps unsettling.” The smaller number of students in the class also reduced the opportunity for many younger students to have the essential student-student interactions.
The uncomfortable nature of the masks for these children is correlated with their performances in core subjects like math and science. “From my observation, student knowledge of math skills and concepts have dipped causing more reinforcement and frequent check-ins with students to ensure confidence and mastery,” stated Pischke.
The hybrid schedule further prevents these students from having a set rhythm, reducing their confidence to do these problems. Moreover, learning at home has not helped these students practice their skills, given the abundance of distractions. “During time away from school, students are more likely to pick up a book and read rather than sit down and work out long division problems or solve rate-ratio problems,” asserted Pischke.
As the year progresses, many adolescents are learning to adapt to this new mode of learning. Whether this situation is stagnant or not, elementary students have been thrown off by the pandemic but hope to rebound.
