Opinion: Virtual Learning Was a Disaster

On March 13, 2020, the entirety of learning changed for every student in America.  What started as two weeks of digital learning to try and slow the spread of COVID, turned to the rest of the school year online.  Looking back at that decision, I believe it was the right thing to do, especially at the beginning of the pandemic.  But after that school year finished and summer came along, I believed it was a top priority to get students back into the classroom to learn at the best of their abilities.  

Schools went in many directions, some schools like Franklin and Muskego choosing a 5- day in-person schedule, schools like us (Greendale) choosing a hybrid schedule, and some even remained all virtual.  For many of us students and parents, we were happy with the hybrid schedule initially, but knew we wanted to eventually catch up to those other schools with 5 days in- person learning. 

 But then, on November 1, 2020, cases of COVID spiked and Greendale was put into a full virtual learning format until the end of Thanksgiving break.  Then, of course, that was extended to the end of the semester and we are finally nearing the end of what seemed like the rough road we have traveled.  

Looking through what we went through, it is obvious that going full virtual only harmed the students at Greendale High.  As I’m sure everyone saw in every single one of their online classes, students were not the same.  Cameras were off, teachers were struggling to get students to participate, and students started experiencing emotional damage.  Many students I have talked to (they asked to remain anonymous) have cheated on multiple tests and quizzes,  lied about their internet being poor for the sake of getting a pass to not participate, and some even sleeping through class with their camera off.  

After a while, it was clear that this was failing the students.  It was even more clear that it was failing the students after the “Pass/fail” grading option was reintroduced..  If that wasn’t enough, the administration decided to lower the grading scale, making a 52 percent a D-.  Students started to realize they only needed a 52 percent to pass the class, but doing so also wouldn’t affect their GPA if they took the “Pass/fail” option.  That, in turn, killed the students’ motivation, not only for school work, but other things as well.  Students were not finding new ways to learn, they were finding new ways to cheat the system to get a passing grade.

In a normal school setting, waking up every day, having time to get ready for school, then going to school put students in a great atmosphere to learn and go about the day.  During virtual learning, it was just wake up at least a minute before class so you are not late, roll over in your bed, grab your chromebook, join the class (with the camera off) and you are marked present.  That was no way to attend class. Although the rules stated that students must have cameras on, teachers usually would also not enforce that because it seemed impossible.

In addition, we could not go to sporting events in person nor did we have many clubs to attend, which completely changes how days of school would go.  Having the motivation to finish school work and plan out your day to do these things was a big part of high school, but over virtual we had all day to do school work, which led to procrastination.  Students were robbed of a semester of their high school experience.

With these events and clubs being limited, it isolated students from seeing their friends at school, which in turn led them to see each other more than usual outside of school.  During that time, it was less likely that they would be following the COVID guidelines put in place.  Many people have informed me of multiple gatherings with more than 15 people in small houses, which is much larger than the CDC recommendation.  During these gatherings, it was even more likely students would fall into peer pressure to find new ways of happiness.

This does not speak for the entirety of students, some students were more responsible than others.  But with that, I know numerous more students that have experienced trouble and lack of motivation than students who continued to diligently learn in this format.  But on Feb.1, students returned to 4 days in person learning which is hoping to bring “normal” back to the students in Greendale.

I truly believe that online learning failed the majority of students and parents of Greendale students.  Going to high school is a privilege that we all took for granted before we were moved online.  Social skills, education, and friendships that were gained during high school is something alum of Greendale have valued for years after they graduated.  Unfortunately, a semester of those social skills, education, and friendships were taken away from current students by going to virtual learning in November.