Queens teens deal with drastic impact of COVID-19 school shutdown
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Students leave Stuyvesant High School on March 13 — the last school day before the city shutdown in-person classes for the rest of the year. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
By Teresa Mettela
For high school senior Crystal Diaz, the coronavirus seemed a distant threat, spreading elsewhere while life continued more or less as usual for New York City students.
“Before the pandemic started, my high school experience was really like any other,” said Crystal Diaz, a student at The Global Learning Collaborative on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “The only times we talked about the Coronavirus were when we traded memes with each other from Google or Reddit.”
That all changed on March 15, when Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that schools would close and education would go remote for the city’s 1.1 million public school students until at least April 20. The city has since shut down schools until September.
Proms are canceled. So are graduation ceremonies, state exams and sports seasons. And high school students abruptly faced some of the independent learning responsibilities as college kids. Diaz said the transition to online education has caused a delay in her college application process.
“It’s a little bit hard as well because it feels like if I don’t do the work right away, it will pile up really quickly and it’ll end up stressing me out,” she said.
The gravity of the situation quickly settled in for students using Zoom, Webex and Google Hangouts to talk to their peers or ask their teachers questions.
“I think the transition definitely made it harder because face-to-face teaching is quicker in terms of responses,” said Justice Burgos, a senior at Vanguard High School on the Upper East Side. “Waiting for a teacher to get back to me is displeasing.”
A tough adjustment
The switch to remote learning has led to technical difficulties, as well as mental challenges for students who have to embrace a new education approach.
“I am more of a hands on person who prefers writing rather than typing things online,” said Vanguard junior Mia Chaney. “I think writing things down helps me retain information way better.”
She said she sometimes feels trapped while working from home.
“I hate being forced to stay inside in a space for long periods of time with the same people. I can’t stay at home forever,” Chaney said. “That is the last place I want to be of all places. I’d rather be in school.”
Diaz, the Global Learning Collaborative senior, said the classes are less stimulating.
“When I used Google Classroom in order to do some French work, I found myself a little bored actually,” she said. “In French class, I’m used to so many things happening all at once. Now I’m in my bedroom with no one — just my laptop and the worksheet looking at me from the screen.”
A silver lining
The change hasn’t been all bad, student says. Diaz said her teachers promptly shared assignments and provided feedback
“I quickly got invitations from the school app, Google Classroom, where my teachers sent me an invitation to their online class and they dropped off worksheets and homework for us students to do,” Diaz said. “The transition was quick and easy.”
Townsend Harris sophomore Rusayala Hasan said she was glad that AP exams have been reformatted to include a 45-minute writing section rather than a two-hour portion. The College Board has also refocused the AP World History exam to focus on the period from the early 1900s to the present day.
Hasan said she also feels more comfortable working at her own pace.
“I definitely feel less stressed.” she said. “Also, since the classes take place at home, I can take part in discussions at any time, anywhere I am. Waking up later is also a pro, since the commute took a chunk out of my sleep.”
Teachers and students have grown closer in the new format, because teachers have begun sharing more about their own lives, Hasan added.
“They talk more about themselves and it shows a side that could be easily overlooked,” she said. “Their personalities shine through when they introduce their children, or share part of their homes, and it is a reminder that these teachers are an important part of the school community, and should be recognized as more.”
Nevertheless, some students have begun contemplating a thought they never could have imagined a month ago.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have never wanted to be at school so much in my life,” Chaney said.
