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QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 29, 2020
‘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 fifthgrader
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
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
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
Photo via Getty Images
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.”