Connecting with teachers and knowing what they expect is hard in normal school, but over Zoom, it feels near impossible. What with internet cutting out and loud neighbors, you can hardly hear the work, let alone connect with the actual teacher. But, maybe people have figured out some way to get to know the teacher, or teachers have found a way of their own…
-- Holly Young, 7th Grade
I know we all got a syllabus for each class and most teachers made a slide show about themselves, but a lot of students feel that you really have to talk to your teacher to connect with them. What they expect from you, and what they say they expect from you can be two totally different things, and to succeed as a student during the school year, you have to really figure out your teacher.
It’s not as easy, though, when you don’t have the chance to really talk to your teachers. A lot of teachers say to come to their office hours, so you can try that. There must be other ways to, for want of a better word, beat the system and connect with teachers. But, for most, it’s just hard.
Ms. Trieu is a High School Biology and 7th grade Life Science teacher at OSA. Trieu believes that thriving over Zoom depends on the student.
“For some who are more comfortable expressing themselves, initiating and cultivating friendships in an online environment, they may feel that this is easier.,” Trieu said. “For many, being limited to online interaction can be debilitating. Zoom is a tool, which means that it makes things easier, but may not help solve the problem in and of itself. It depends on how teachers and students use it.”
This is Ms. Trieu’s second year as a teacher at OSA, so she had to spend half of her first year teaching during Remote Learning. She believes that having last year as a foundation to build on has made planning this year easier. “It jumpstarted the trial and error process of teaching in a new environment and gave me a better idea of how to use the tools we had,” she pointed out.
Ms. Pontecorvo teaches 7th and 8th grade history. Despite Zoom being annoying, Pontecorvo believes that “Zoom has made a big difference. It really helps that we can see each other.” Pontecorvo believes that success during remote learning depends on student communication.
“It is hard for teachers to know how to help if students don't tell us,” she continued. If you’re a student wondering how to do that, Pontecorvo offered some advice. “I think if students are seeing that they are missing assignments they should come to office hours, even if it is just to check in.” All in all, Pontecorvo said that despite Zoom having its difficulties, “I do think zoom has made a big difference. It really helps that we can see each other.”
Bailey Lake-Short is a 6th grader in Production Design. Lake-Short hasn’t had any trouble connecting with teachers. “I think they've been doing a good job teaching us,” she said. “Most of my teachers think it is rather different but they're not struggling.” However, communication has been hard as “I have had a few confusing assignments from a teacher where I didn't understand how to do them and what to do with them,” she admitted. “But other than that it's been great!”
Vocalist, Charlotte Curtin is in 7th grade. Curtin believes that success over in distance learning is “up to the students.” She thinks that teachers “are still trying to figure it out, [but] they’ve adjusted really well.” She doesn’t think that any teachers are doing a bad job at connecting, but all they have to do is “provide opportunities ” and the students will follow suit.
I hope that students and teachers can use what other people said to make connections easier in this really challenging time.
It’s not as easy, though, when you don’t have the chance to really talk to your teachers. A lot of teachers say to come to their office hours, so you can try that. There must be other ways to, for want of a better word, beat the system and connect with teachers. But, for most, it’s just hard.
Ms. Trieu is a High School Biology and 7th grade Life Science teacher at OSA. Trieu believes that thriving over Zoom depends on the student.
“For some who are more comfortable expressing themselves, initiating and cultivating friendships in an online environment, they may feel that this is easier.,” Trieu said. “For many, being limited to online interaction can be debilitating. Zoom is a tool, which means that it makes things easier, but may not help solve the problem in and of itself. It depends on how teachers and students use it.”
This is Ms. Trieu’s second year as a teacher at OSA, so she had to spend half of her first year teaching during Remote Learning. She believes that having last year as a foundation to build on has made planning this year easier. “It jumpstarted the trial and error process of teaching in a new environment and gave me a better idea of how to use the tools we had,” she pointed out.
Ms. Pontecorvo teaches 7th and 8th grade history. Despite Zoom being annoying, Pontecorvo believes that “Zoom has made a big difference. It really helps that we can see each other.” Pontecorvo believes that success during remote learning depends on student communication.
“It is hard for teachers to know how to help if students don't tell us,” she continued. If you’re a student wondering how to do that, Pontecorvo offered some advice. “I think if students are seeing that they are missing assignments they should come to office hours, even if it is just to check in.” All in all, Pontecorvo said that despite Zoom having its difficulties, “I do think zoom has made a big difference. It really helps that we can see each other.”
Bailey Lake-Short is a 6th grader in Production Design. Lake-Short hasn’t had any trouble connecting with teachers. “I think they've been doing a good job teaching us,” she said. “Most of my teachers think it is rather different but they're not struggling.” However, communication has been hard as “I have had a few confusing assignments from a teacher where I didn't understand how to do them and what to do with them,” she admitted. “But other than that it's been great!”
Vocalist, Charlotte Curtin is in 7th grade. Curtin believes that success over in distance learning is “up to the students.” She thinks that teachers “are still trying to figure it out, [but] they’ve adjusted really well.” She doesn’t think that any teachers are doing a bad job at connecting, but all they have to do is “provide opportunities ” and the students will follow suit.
I hope that students and teachers can use what other people said to make connections easier in this really challenging time.
