Staff Editorial: The Prospect of Returning to School
September 25, 2020
On Sept. 21, District 303 Board of Education decided that starting on Oct. 19, high school students would engage in a hybrid model of learning, meaning that students will be in the building.
From our perspective, we do not think this is the best way to proceed in these unprecedented times. Cases of COVID-19 are still increasing across the country, including Kane County. We highly doubt that high school students will stay six feet apart and wear their mask at all times while in the building. We worry that high school kids might have stopped caring about the pandemic and are now seeing other people without wearing masks or social distancing.
What happens when they bring that same mentality into school?
In our opinion, we believe that we should stick to the fully remote model we are engaging in right now. Students are just starting to get used to remote learning; they’ve gotten into their routine and acclimated to a new online way of life. Students are really starting to engage with their teacher in class and beginning to build up the nerve to unmute themselves. In the past few weeks, some of our classes have done whole-class discussions and if you closed your eyes, you could almost pretend you weren’t hearing their voices from a speaker, and that you were, in fact, in a real classroom.
Yet, we are being told to go back to in-person learning. Once in the classroom, we will have to readjust and find a new groove. It will take a while to get to know each other and figure out how to actually work face-to-face. Not only that, teachers will have to navigate between a classroom full of students in front of them and a screen with even more students. Teachers will have to juggle their valuable attention to remote and in-person students, causing some who may slip through the cracks.
This dilemma causes us to ask ourselves: will we not learn as much because our teachers will be too busy? While some students may think that they are not learning as much remotely, in our opinion, they will learn even less under this model. Teachers will be bouncing from their computer to individual students to trying to lecture at the front of the room, and they will not be able to finish all they had planned, resulting in a hectic mess where no one feels engaged in the class material.
In addition, there are so many resources available online that teachers could use instead of having to go back to in-person learning. Teachers just gained access to Zoom on Friday, Sept. 18. Because of that, they have not even had a chance to utilize all of the features it has to offer. Zoom has the ability for teachers to send students to breakout rooms, something Google Meets does not possess.
Hybrid learning could be a possible step eventually, but right now our district is not ready for it. It is dangerous to ourselves and others. Remote learning is working. It may be hard and confusing sometimes, but we are still learning without having to worry about our safety. We like attending school without being worried that we’re going to contract a deadly disease and spread it to our loved ones.
Remote learning is not only letting us learn while being safe but is also preparing us for our future. Students are now experts in making connections online; nowadays, so many job interviews and meetings are virtual, and we are now professionals in navigating both Zoom and Google Meet. Remote learning has been preparing us for life after high school in a unique way than being in the building could have.
Along those same lines, remote learning is preparing us for college. In college, classes are not every day, and homework isn’t often due the day after it’s assigned. Sound familiar?
Now, we are able to tailor our time to what we need to focus on which could mean spending more time working on a certain subject. This can help us build study habits and learn time management skills that we can take with us to college.
Most importantly, student voices are not being heard. Over the summer, surveys were sent to parents about their children’s instructional model. We kept waiting for an email to arrive in our inboxes, but we didn’t get one. We are high school students. We are more than capable of making our own decisions and answering honestly about what we want for our schooling.
The bottom line is: student’s opinions aren’t being represented even though we are the ones who in-person learning affects the most. We are the ones who will have to go into the building, so why weren’t we allowed to be directly involved or even consulted in the decision-making process?
Despite this, we recognize that there may be some positive outcomes of in-person learning. There will be more face-to-face interactions, meaning students–for the first time in months–will be able to talk to their teachers and fellow classmates without needing a screen. They will be able to bond with their teachers and start interacting with them in ways that haven’t existed since COVID-19 changed our lives last March. Teachers will be able to ask questions and get responses immediately instead of waiting in awkward silence for a brave soul to unmute themselves.
That being said, we have to accept the fact that just because we are going back to school, it won’t be what we are normally used to. Masks and six-feet social distancing will be required at all times, and desks will be arranged in rows separated from one another. These requirements may isolate us from others and make it hard to talk due to distance.
We feel that this process of getting high schoolers into the building has been rushed and not thoroughly thought out. Nobody could have imagined that our school year would look like this. This isn’t normal, but it’s the middle of a pandemic; life isn’t normal. It won’t be for a long time. We think that there is time to take this process slow enough to ensure that we aren’t making short term solutions that might be counter-productive in the long run.
The purpose of the staff editorial is to start a conversation. The editorial topic and stance are discussed and agreed on by all members of the editorial board. While only one editor writes the article and the editorial may not represent each editor’s opinion 100%, it does represent an editorial consensus. Again, the purpose is discussion. Let us know what you think through Twitter @SCNNewspaper and email at [email protected].
Frankie Iovinelli • Sep 29, 2020 at 2:54 pm
I am a current senior at North and this article certainly speaks for the minority of the population. My peers and I have discussed going back to school and feel it would be a great change to our current unhealthy life styles. As I have mentioned directly to the board of the district, social isolation and excessive screen time are two very large problems that can not be over looked. However, the current dose of both exceeds the recommendations of the Mayo Clinic and the CDC. The CDC states, “Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.” Mayo Clinic also states that one above the age of 12 should not endure more than 2 hours of screen time per day.
Additionally, it is extremely illogical to reason that going back to school is unsafe. By your standards of safety, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, sports, and all other activities should be cancelled, but that is not the case. In school, we would be wearing masks, which would minimize the human transmission by an average of 75%. We would also be social distancing with 6 feet, and will not be able to take our masks off to eat or even drink. With these very strict rules, the virus is certain to be contained and is far more safe than any other approved activity.
I also want to emphasize that the coronavirus cases are at a steady and manageable rate. The logarithmic graph of Illinois total deaths due to COVID, depicts an extremely flat line. The reason why one must refer to the logarithmic graph is because logarithmic graphs resemble drastic changes, spikes, growth and things of that nature. A simple linear graph is misleading, because any virus that is exposed to a population capable of transmitting the virus and has an R naught greater than 1 will have a positive linear graph. However, the severity of a virus must be determined by the logarithmic graph.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/illinois/
As you can see, the logarithmic graph of the deaths due to COVID in Illinois has been flat since roughly the middle of June. I want to also remind you that this graph resembles all of Illinois, including the highly and densely populated city of Chicago. However, according to the numbers, the virus is under control: even when taking a city of 2.7 million people -which is 90 times the population of Saint Charles – into account. Seeing this graph, I ask you how flat this line must be in order to return to school. Additionally, I ask you to edit this paper and include specific information on when it is considered safe to return. If you were to use numbers of cases/deaths in Kane County as a benchmark, that would be exceptional- even though we already rarely see any deaths (source below).
https://kanecountyconnects.com/2020/09/covid-19-kane-county-no-new-deaths-monday-elgin-reaches-3000-confirmed-cases/
In fact, according to the article above, at the time of me writing this, Kane County has seen 6 days in a row without any deaths from COVID at all. “There were no new COVID-19-related deaths reported on the Kane County Health Department COVID-19 dashboard today — the sixth straight day the death total has been at 327.”
Thank you for your time in reading our responses. Also, feel free to fact check my evidence. I hope you take this information into account.
Zachary McClure • Sep 26, 2020 at 9:56 pm
I am a senior and I have spoken at a board meeting and rally’s so that we could have the opportunity to come back to school in the hybrid format. This editorial staff does not speak for me or my issues regarding online learning. I completely disagree with all statements presented in this article. I do not feel like I’m connecting at all with teachers and students and my learning this year has suffered because of it. I’m ready to follow any guidelines that our district will put on us. If you don’t feel safe stay remote. I personally need to be in school for me to learn. Thank you.
Jennifer McClure • Sep 26, 2020 at 6:49 pm
I applaud you for sharing your opinion. No one is forcing anyone to go to in person learning. It remains a choice and if you want to remain remote you may certainly do so. If parents did not seek their students’ input in completing the summer survey or the latest one than that might be someplace to start if they are in disagreement. The position of students who engaged with the board are very different. They asked that the hybrid model which was chosen by 87% be offered. I believe our highvscjoolcstudents are very capable of following the guidelines Many are watching younger siblings successfully return to an in person option. They deserve that option as well.
Mark Huber • Sep 26, 2020 at 10:22 am
This is a very well written and thought-provoking editorial and I respect you putting your perspective out there. It does raise some questions like, if 87% of student families voted for in-person learning whose voice are we hearing? It also causes me to ask, does the Stargazer truly represent the students or has the power of the pen gone to the heads of the editorial staff?
Putting these questions aside, where were your voices at the various rallies? There have been several board meetings where numerous students spoke in favor of reopening, without any student commentary advocating the status quo and 100% remote learning. You seem to be articulate and willing to put your thoughts out there, where were you during this battle? It appears that the Stargazer is a day late and a dollar short.
Perhaps being remote has been a barrier to you keeping up on the events as they have unfolded, perhaps being remote has caused a slower than normal response or, perhaps, you are giving your public voice to someone else.
Arguments without a face and name fall flat, especially those that claim to speak for the majority when empirical evidence points to the contrary. The debate surrounding reopening the school is one of the most important and public debates this district has seen, and it directly impacts the students you serve. It’s disappointing that the Stargazer was unable to get in the fight in a timely manner and have the voices you claim to represent heard. Ultimately, this failure causes me to question the veracity of your commentary and which individuals you represent.
I understand that the Stargazer is a student run paper. I respect and applaud the efforts of the all the kids involved and do not wish to disparage the staff and what you are doing. Mine is just one of many of the voices that advocate the re-opening of the schools. I hope all involved with this debate, on both sides, can disagree without personal attacks. Thank you for your editorial, I look forward to seeing the variety of comments it provokes.
Patrick Perrault • Sep 26, 2020 at 2:22 am
So the “staff editorial” wrote this, acting on behalf of the students?
Mrs. Reber • Sep 25, 2020 at 9:50 am
I know this wasn’t an easy stand to make and I commend you for speaking your minds. This was well-written, thoughtful, and spoke to student truths. I really appreciate the work you put into writing this piece, and I hope that you find student voices ARE considered in the future. You matter, too. :-). Excellent work, Stargazer Editorial Board.