Some problems I experienced included finding a time or a place to focus. Sharing a small house with seven people and trying to find a place to focus was very hard. Another issue that occurred was meeting the responsibilities that were required of me when I’m at my house. According to Andrea Flores, an associate professor at Brown University, ”When young people are guiding their siblings’ education, they’re not just learners but also caretakers.” 2 I had to help my mom with my newly born baby sister. When she needed a bottle, I had to stop everything I was doing to clean out one, make the bottle and feed her. Sometimes I had to go into class while watching her and making sure she would not be touching anything. While this is my personal issue, I am guessing that many if not all students and teachers had to deal with something similar when it came to working at home instead of in a school environment. Because many problems have occurred with this experience of virtual learning, both teacher and students have had to come up with solutions in order to overcome the difficulty of virtual learning. I dealt with the issues of virtual learning by discussing times with my family to try to separate home activities from school activities to the best of our ability. One way the teachers adapted was by only having four classes a day, giving students time to deal with at-home responsibilities. The thing that really helped me out the most was the designated times teachers gave to students to give feedback on the things that needed to change during the year and how the year was going. As stated on www.usatoday.com, “Many don't see education going back to the way it was, so they're pressuring schools to strengthen their virtual programs.” 3 While certain issues of virtual learning cannot be avoided, I believe that by embracing some of the strategies above and finding more ways to meet the needs of students and teachers we will overcome this new challenge of virtual learning. 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/30/learning- loss-from-virtual-school-due-to-covid-is- significant-.html
2 https://www.the74million.org/article/when- siblings-become-teachers-its-not-just-parents- who-find-themselves-thrust-into-the-demanding- role-of-at-home-educators/
3 https://www.usatoday.com/in- depth/news/education/2020/12/13/covid-online- school-tutoring-plan/6334907002/
Jeremiah and classmates take a peaceful walk in between their creative writing classes at Goucher College, Towson, MD.
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