Trying to have teachers balance remote or quarantined students and curriculum along with in-person learning is too much. Now, every teacher I have asked says that “it’s okay,” and that they’re “doing alright,” but as someone who has recently been quarantined and made the switch from in-person to online learning, when the teachers say that, they are just trying to reassure you.

Teachers have a big enough workload as it is, managing all of their students and their individual needs— adding another element to the mix just isn’t helping. How could they possibly be expected to manage a classroom full of kids, COVID guidelines, and students on Zoom? As a student, I really wish they weren’t. But, so any in-person students out there can get an idea of this fiasco from a Zoom kid’s perspective, here is a completely real day’s events from my first week on Zoom:

Wake up fairly late since my first hour is study hall; wait 10 minutes for my second hour teacher to remember to let me in the Zoom; attend second hour and TA, successfully enter the third hour Zoom- but have to email the teacher when they don’t see my message about there not being a test link for Zoom kids for over half the class; anxiously await for an email back; eventually take the test and then arrive late to my 4th hour; spend fourth hour listening to the teacher ask questions but never being able to hear the class’s answers, and mercifully make it to lunch.

Lunch- a much needed break in my labor from sitting on my bed staring at a computer screen all day (seriously though, it’s somehow super stressful). I wander to the kitchen and stare wistfully into the fridge that lacks anything good- but alas I cannot go to the store. I eventually settle on a nutritious quesadilla and sit to eat…alone. It could not be more opposite from school lunch. It’s quiet, I’m alone, and my food is warm. I hate it. 

I go to fifth hour where my teacher tries to screen share videos which never works (why is the audio always choppy?) proceed to fail a listening quiz over the video I couldn’t hear; enter the sixth period Zoom—thank goodness we’re watching a movie—wait, she forgot to screen share and walked away so now I can’t actually watch the documentary I’m supposed to write a response to; finally go to seventh where I get kicked out of Zoom 4 consecutive times in a row before my teacher gives up and lets me go for the rest of class. Well, now I guess it’s the time in my day where I’m somehow sad about not being able to go to work (no I don’t get it either) and ignore the homework I don’t have a single clue how to do and think about the club meeting I’m missing.

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