During the pandemic, there has been a lot of stress in life. But school has also been a large factor. In general, most students felt stressed, but they thought that it was just because it was a new grade level. Teachers felt stressed because they had to find new ways to make their lessons work in an online line classroom.
I asked students how they felt about the workload and if it was more or less than last year. One sophomore student said that the formative work was “too much because it is all piling up.” Another sophomore said that it was not the teacher’s fault but that the students were procrastinating. Josh, a junior, said that there is “a lot more work because teachers were cramming in lessons.” Lucia, a sophomore, added that “there is a lot more [work] but I’m not sure if that is because of the pandemic or not”
One student said that most of the stress did not come from teachers, but it was Schoology. She said that there were problems with the online platform last year that were not fixed over the summer.
One student said, “the workload is fairly light, but the lack of motivation makes it seem like a lot of work.”
When asked to rate their stress on a 1-10 scale. One sophomore said that she was an 11 because of Schoology problems. A different student said that she was a 6-7 because of the large number of summatives. Josh said that he was an 8 because “the teachers don’t understand.” Lucia said that she was 6 because “there is a lot of work and there is not enough time to do the summitives” A final student said they were a 6 but they were stressed about other things.
Most students were glad that we were online this year because it was a good call to not bring us back for health reasons. Lucia said, “it was a very good idea to not bring us in this year…it was unsafe to go back.” One student said, “I wish we could go back because it is taking a toll on our mental health.”
The teachers, on the other hand, had a different reaction. Most of them agreed that there was more stress when it came to online learning.
Mr. Rosenberg said, “there is more time for lesson planning but it is a constant creative challenge.” Ms. Kincaid said that lesson planning was “more selective.” Mr. Ochs said that “when we were in school I could see who needed help, but online, I can’t look over a student’s shoulder to see how they are doing.” Mr. Bettis said, “ I feel like I have to eliminate lessons.”
There were different reactions about how lesson planning was going. Mr. Ochs did not think that there was much of a change because computer science was mostly online already.
When it comes to the 1-10 scale they are facing challenges in different ways. Ms. MacAdoo was a 5 because “you can only do so much.” Mr. Ochs was a 8-9 because of family matters. Mr. Bettis was a 4 because “I feel like I am treading water and trying to keep up.” Mr. Rosenberg said that he is normally a 7 but now he is a 6 and adds that “it changes depending on the day.”
In general most of the students and teachers are feeling stressed in one way or another. If you are feeling stressed, reach out to teachers, friends, and guidance counselors for help. We are all in this together and City forever.
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