Dear teachers,
The students of LHS would like to thank you for your time and patience during the transition from hybrid to online learning. We know this adjustment is every bit as odious for you as it is for us. You all need to know that your efforts are appreciated and admired even when the district, angry parents, and complicated students make you think otherwise.
Now it’s our turn as students to help you be successful in our new world because learning is not one-sided. Through my own experience as a junior during these hard times, I have found that effective lecture-based learning has been lacking in both our previous arrangement and today’s present online classes.
As you know, lectures provide one on one time with classes which can be very difficult online, as students appear to be quite dead during Google meets.
In order to help with this, and to stimulate conversation, try not to ask hypothetical questions about the things we are learning.
Sometimes students need straight-forward questions because confidence fuels higher-level academic thinking. Obviously, you want your classes to be challenging, but I’ve found classes to be much more effective when teachers gradually make their questions more difficult so the students are more engaged and are confident in their knowledge.
However, avoid asking too many questions during lectures, as you normally end up answering your own questions. Us students are sneaky and are aware of this. We’ll go silent if we know you’ll answer your own questions. Asking too many questions also causes students to be clueless about what to ask because everything has either been answered, or the questions have caused the lecture to become off-topic which is problematic.
That being said, lecture-based learning is not for everyone. Many students require interactive activities during class to apply the new topics they’re learning online. In my opinion, breakout rooms are the best way for students to complete these activities and interact with one another. This is because the breakout rooms are only with other students and they create a more comfortable, less formal, and less awkward environment in comparison to the regular Google meet. I think most of us would agree that working alongside our peers and finishing assignments during class would not only improve participation but would also relieve the stress we deal with throughout the school day.
Another highly requested change for our new school world is a catch-up day for students. All of us are burnt out after Google meets and hours staring at a screen. Not only does this make doing homework very difficult, but it also is not good for our health as blue light causes headaches and fatigue. A day to catch up on work would benefit everyone if it was authorized. This gives students time to breathe during the week and a chance to prioritize and crank out work. If the catch-up day was on Wednesdays it would allow everyone to focus on preparing for classes and finishing their assignments. This would result in less stress during the week because students would have a day that allows them to think ahead once they’ve finished their assignments.
Once again, thank you for all of your hard work. It is not going unseen by anyone and we understand that this transition is just as hard on you as it has been for us.
-Students of LHS