COVID-19 Slide: Students Adapt to the Shifts in Learning Environment
Spanish Teacher Rachel Ferguson helps a student with a problem in her Spanish 2 class.
November 17, 2021
After a long period of abnormal learning around the U.S., students and educators are faced with the ‘Covid Slide’ after returning to in-person learning.
The ‘Covid Slide’ is similar to the ‘Summer Slide’, which is the setback that students face when they return back to school from summer break.
“I think students are doing their best at recalling the knowledge they learned last year, but there has been a lot of information from last year that just didn’t quite stick,” said math teacher Dylan Beckford. “I have seen kids really struggling already so it has been very difficult for them.”
One of the main issues that seems to be tackling students is the recollection of lessons from previous classes. Online classes caused a variety of disruptions for learning, which are catching up to students now.
“I am struggling in physics,” said junior Madi Welker. “Last year I took chemistry, but I did not have any motivation to learn last year. Physics is the second part of chemistry, and it is hard to learn more, when I don’t have any knowledge to begin with.”
Educators are being faced with the challenge of figuring out how to adapt to the needs of students while making sure that they are still covering the required curriculum.
“We’ll move along as much as possible and learn as much content as we can. The goal is to help students understand what they need to, and help them get to where they need to be.” — Rachel Ferguson, Spanish teacher
“Teaching Spanish online was very difficult,” said spanish teacher Rachel Ferguson. “I teach many upper level classes, and I’ve had to back us up. I think it’s important to make sure the kids understand the content, and we are not overwhelming them.”
Although educators may be trying different solutions, some students might not feel like there is any additional help towards getting students back on track.
“I feel like the teachers have a little understanding, but at the same time they don’t,” Welker said. “I know we were all online last year, but they weren’t the ones at home with no motivation trying to learn and teach yourself.”
The problem with catching students up from last year is that it takes away from what needs to be covered this year. This is where many educators are struggling because they have to find a balance between the two.
“I have definitely had to adapt the curriculum for students but I feel like we are getting back on track,” Beckford said. “One thing I found in my classes that is lacking from last year is the ability for students to factor. So, I have had to take more time reviewing all the types of factoring and including it in the daily warm ups.”
Many teachers see this period as a time for them to keep encouraging their students, so that they are able to get back on track to resume learning like in previous years.
“We have some makeup work to do, and we know we might not be able to get everything completed this year,” Ferguson said. “We’ll move along as much as possible and learn as much content as we can. The goal is to help students understand what they need to, and help them get to where they need to be.”
