8 MARCH 26, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
‘I miss school’: How students are coping with
remote learning during coronavirus pandemic
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
“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
his first 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
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
Photo via Getty Images
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 seventhgrader
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 second-grader 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 fifth-grader
at P.S. 290Q, is worried about the
services some students 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.
After he told his counselor at P.S.
290Q that he’ll miss their sessions,
his counselor set up a video call once
a week.
“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 eighth-grader 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.”
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