Reacting to Remote Learning

In a time of crisis, for better or for worse, the first people we look to are our leaders. Over the past several years, the Stuyvesant administration has been admirable in its responses to disasters, from the terrorist attack on Halloween three years ago to the current pandemic. Before schools were cancelled citywide, Principal Eric Contreras announced a moratorium on testing to encourage sick students to stay home. In the days since the whole city transitioned to online learning, the administration and the Student Union have done their utmost to keep the student body well-informed and still learning. Though remote learning at Stuyvesant remains in its infancy, the early signs are positive; the administration switched to E/S/N/U (Exceeds Expectations/Satisfactory/Needs Improvement/Unsatisfactory) grading for as long as school remains out, lowering academic stress for students in an unprecedented position, and implemented a rule ensuring that online lessons do not extend outside of the class’s designated period. The guidance department has too reached out to students proactively, offering support even as students are confined to their respective homes. These changes, as well as the frequent and positive communication with the student body, have by and large made the best of a difficult situation; however, like any paradigm shift, they have not come without their challenges, and it would be amiss to suggest that the quality of education received has remained consistent.

Faulty internet, malfunctioning computers, and glitching websites seem like the obvious culprits in the clear decrease in quality of our education during quarantine. However, the primary issue is that digital instruction adds a wall between students and their teachers. Despite best efforts by students and teachers to frequently check e-mails and websites, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with each class. Some teachers don’t have a direct form of contact with their students, which requires students to obsessively check a plethora of websites. While some teachers are hosting Zoom calls in an effort to simulate in-person classes and facilitate easy communication, several are not following policy by hosting remote learning sessions not in their designated class periods, forcing students to choose between attending two classes—an unfair choice that no student should have to make.

But the most notable and large-scale example of the rough transition has been in the Physics department. Though some individual teachers had their remote learning systems set up the by first week of quarantine and have been moving forward laudably, the Physics Lab Google Classroom got off to a very shaky start, with the teacher running it posting cryptic messages in a series of separate posts rather than a set of clear instructions in one place. The full junior class’s worth of students in the Classroom built on the chaotic atmosphere they encountered by treating the classroom, in which students had been given (and still have) full posting and commenting permission, as a social media platform. Students started by posting and commenting copypastas of the teacher’s posts, which then escalated to entirely tangential memes.

There have also been some inevitable problems lying entirely outside the control of the administration or teachers. Zoom, of course, is not even close to a substitute for classroom learning: it lags, it blurs, it cuts out, and it makes participation difficult. And it is susceptible to “Zoom-bombing,” which is when trolls get into a Zoom class and hijack it. In social studies teacher Robert Sandler’s U.S. History class, a troll got in on the first day and droned out racial slurs, drew obscenities on the shared screen, and made sexual moaning noises. To the teachers’ credit, however, they have adapted to Zoom-bombing remarkably quickly. On the second day, the troll only got in once, and Sandler removed them immediately and, impressively, didn’t give him a reaction.

The Stuyvesant faculty has taken the challenge of remote learning in other ways. The administration has been maintaining a strong line of communication with Stuyvesant students and parents, quickly informing our community of any updates regarding the crisis. The Student Union’s outreach, such as its Q&A with Contreras, has become another reliable stream of information, one more personalized to student questions. The guidance department has also taken initiative to provide students support and assistance during this difficult adjustment, while the administration has made a forum for students to express their concerns through Assistant Principal of Organization Dr. Gary Haber’s daily attendance survey. But most of all, many teachers have been incredibly accommodating, experimenting with new technology, leaving their comfort zones by significantly adjusting their teaching styles, and actively receiving feedback to fine-tune their lessons. Stuyvesant faculty members have taken great strides to make this drastic and disconcerting shift as smooth as possible for the students, keeping them in the loop as they bring learning and support into their homes.

Students, to their credit, have also taken online learning seriously. While working from home could seem like a vacation, many students understand their teachers’ expectations and have remained attentive and on top of their assignments. Though online schooling requires students to effectively manage their time—both so they can attend scheduled classes and turn in classwork and homework by their deadlines—students have stepped up to the challenge. Aside from a handful of examples, they have also been understanding while the administration and teachers find their rhythm.

Overall, the Stuyvesant community’s response to this unprecedented situation has been commendable: students have not taken advantage of this more relaxed method of teaching, teachers have prepared lessons, and faculty has been in frequent contact with the rest of the community. This is not to say that there are no kinks in the system, such as scheduling problems and inconsistent methods of teaching. The uncertainty of when school will resume also contributes to high levels of anxiety among all members of the school community. As we traverse this unchartered territory and discover how teaching can be most effective via online platforms together, it is critical that we maintain a positive attitude and mentality. Only then will the diverse resources and educational opportunities here at Stuyvesant not be squandered.