‘I MISS SCHOOL’ How students are coping with remote learning during coronavirus pandemic
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
“In my opinion, I think that
this is very annoying and I
think people will agree,” A.
Falcon, a fifth-grader at P.S.
290Q in Ridgewood, said about
New York City’s public schools
shutting down as a result of
the coronavirus outbreak.
For Falcon — whose mother
requested her son’s full name
not be used — and many of the
1.1 million students in NYC’s
school system — the largest
school system in the country
— the city’s decision to close
schools was an abrupt, but
necessary measure to stop the
spread of the pandemic.
“For many people, school
is really fun. You get to meet
new friends and goof around
at recess after learning new
things,” Falcon told QNS.
“And for teachers, they get to
pass down knowledge to their
students. Not only is there
math and ELA, but also specials
like P.E., science, art and
music! But then it came along
to the U.S.”
The decision to close
schools wasn’t an easy or quick
one. Mayor Bill de Blasio and
Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza received pushback
from many parents, educators
and fellow elected officials
who felt that schools should’ve
closed much sooner.
Jamie A., a ninth-grader
at Brooklyn Technical High
School who aspires to work in
the medical field, feared for
her classmates and their families
.“
I was worried about the
disease spreading throughout
all of the public schools
because although the death
rate was low, the more people
who get it, the more will die,”
Jamie A. said. “I was especially
worried for those who
have family members with
compromised health because
if the children carried it home
it would put those family members
at risk.”
Although schools are
closed until Monday, April 20,
students still have about three
months left of classes. De Blasio
recently said there’s a good
chance schools won’t open
again for the rest of the school
year.
As a result, a whole new
way of learning and teaching
had to take place — remote
learning. In anticipation of
the city announcing schools
would close, many schools
throughout the city began to
prepare by creating packets
and homework for students to
take home.
The Department of Education
(DOE) then gave teachers
a week to train for virtual education,
where many teachers,
some of which never used online
tools, got familiar with resources
like Google Classroom
and Zoom. Remote learning
officially kicked off on March
23.
“I feel sad I cannot see my
friends,” said Jordan Turkoglu,
a first-grader at P.S. 290Q. “I
have some school work but it’s
not a lot and I feel sad I cannot
see my teacher. I’m happy because
I saw some of my friends
on video yesterday. I do want
to play with my friends but
now I cannot.”
Adrianna Tolentino, a
seventh-grader at I.S. 126Q in
Long Island City, said she enjoyed
her first day of remote
learning.
“It’s not too stressful and
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.4 COM | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020
you can work at your own
pace without the teacher going
too fast during the lesson,”
she said. “But I had many
questions about my work and
the teacher can’t answer the
questions right away, so that
wastes time and the students
might end up doing the assignment
wrong if they don’t get it
either.”
Amin Malik, a secondgrader
at P.S. 84Q in Astoria,
said he feels confident about
remote learning.
“Yesterday we learned
about money in my math class,
and it was helpful because
there were videos that helped
me understand. It was fun to
see comments from my friends
on the computer,” Malik said.
“But I miss school because
there are a lot of fun activities
like gym, and you get to make
a lot of friends. I didn’t do my
music class yet on my computer
and I hope it will be like
class at school where we get
to learn about different singers.
I miss hearing my music
teacher, Miss Schwab, play the
piano.”
But these students all have
access to WiFi and devices at
home, meaning they have two
fewer things to worry about.
Carranza said they estimate
about 300,000 students
don’t have devices. The DOE
distributed 25,000 iPads to
students who need it the most,
and there are companies offering
free internet deals — but
there’s still a big disparity between
students who have the
resources they need and those
who don’t.
Jacob Altamirano, a fifthgrader
at P.S. 290Q, is worried
about the services some
students in District 75 (P.S.
277Q, which shares the same
building) will miss due to the
shutdown, such as counseling,
physical therapy, Special Education
Teacher Support Services
(SETTS) and Individualized
Education Program (IEPs).
“Our speech and SETTS
are very important for us to
continue to develop and do well
in school. I hope and wish that
me and my friends can continue
to see our very important
teachers, even if it is online, so
we can continue to learn and
grow,” Altamirano said.
But he says P.S. 290Q is providing
him and his classmate
Photo via Getty Images
with all the services that they
need. He’s mainly worried
about the other students that
share their building, P.S. 277Q
or District 75.
“But children in my school
building have multiple disabilities
and can’t do remote
learning,” he added. “What
will happen to my friends?”
In a press conference on
March 23, Carranza said that
the DOE is still developing
the remote learning model,
and all schools have had to develop
their own way of dealing
with the change. He asked the
school community for “flexibility
and patience.”
Jordan Leon, an eighthgrader
at P.S. 87Q in Middle
Village, prefers to see the positives
that have come from coronavirus,
like less in-school
bullying.
“It’s also great for the
school community because it’s
bringing families together,”
Leon said. “Teachers, staff
members and students get to
go home with their families
and enjoy this time off as well.
It’s a positive thing because
families get to spend more
time together.”