Politz Day School - Berel: 8th Grade Covid Reflection
This item originates from American Jewish Life.
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Politz Day School - Berel: 8th Grade Covid Reflection
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Life during COVID-19 is an ever-changing, multi-faceted experience. There are various challenges involved with dealing with the pandemic; some easier than others - although none are routine. There are difficulties facing life at home and life at work. However, there are none as problematic as life at school. Learning has been forced to evolve, to shift, in order to endure the burden of Covid-19.
One problem facing students and teachers alike is remote learning. Whether a student is learning from home, or a teacher is teaching from home, the connection between a student-and-teacher has taken a vastly different form. Both cannot convey the same message through Zoom; both cannot have the same variation of learning techniques as previous; and both have to adapt and use a fundamentally different approach in order to continue learning. As a student, staying organized is exponentially more difficult with teachers who are on Zoom. Also, one cannot ask questions and receive answers with the same ease as before. Zoom has caused verbal communication to become drastically more burdensome.
Furthermore, it is doubly as hard to focus on a teachers’ words when they are on Zoom; distractions are triply as potent; while the desire to learn halves. Trivial background noises become magnified greatly by headphones’ microphones, while feedback and echoes are as rampant as ever.
In conclusion, in my opinion, the best way to tackle learning disabilities in COVID-19 is patience and understanding. Certainly, teachers can go a long way in ensuring their students’ enjoyment in and out of school. Considerate teachers are one of a few bright spots in this pandemic. When teachers step out of their comfort-zone and place themselves in their students’ shoes, it goes a long way. On the flip side, teachers are also under tremendous pressure and students can, with effort, make life considerably easier for them. Together, the faculty, staff, and student body can work together to lighten the load of COVID-19 and ensure a better tomorrow.
In prior times, recess and breaks were a great time to de-stress. Politz Day School has done a great job of providing a Table Tennis set in order to make breaks more enjoyable. The table gives pupils something to look forward to between classes. However, recess certainly became less enjoyable. The games we can play have become limited. Some teachers are very considerate to this fact, and as a result, give break time at the end of classes in understanding of the students’ plight. More teachers going the extra mile and being understanding in this facet of life will make school much more functional and pleasant.
However, even in these dire circumstances, there have been some hidden blessings and successes nestled in between the failures. As written previously, the Table Tennis set and teachers being understanding to these times have helped. Furthermore, there have been projects and victories that I have taken part of. As an 8th grade student, the triumphs are greatly amplified. Getting great grades on my first report card was one, and the blog I completed in ELA was another. Learning high-level science has been joy, and math has been an exciting challenge.
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January 27, 2021
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Politz Day School
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New Jersey
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Cherry Hill
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