VIRTUAL PRESSURE
Virtual after-hours should be optional for students who do not need it SOPHIA LIU in-depth editor
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fter months of online classes, the Zoom arrangement of screens — a grid-like formation of students stacked on top of each other — has begun to eerily resemble some sort of jail cell or enclosure. On Jan. 4, high school students were given options to return back to school or continue attending from the comfort of their homes. At 1 p.m., in-person students are set free while virtual students are obligated to muscle through additional Zoom classes until 2:30 p.m. Depending on the day, virtual students spend anywhere from five to seven hours staring at their screens. Rather than mandating attendance of virtual students, the additional Zoom classes ought to operate similarly to seminar participation during first semester: not required but available for students in need of supplemental support. To ensure the engagement of those
learning from home, virtual students are required to attend Zoom classes that correspond with the classes of in-person students; ultimately, virtual students spectate the same lessons as their in-person counterparts. In fact, many teachers are equipped with microphones and bluetooth devices to further enhance virtual students’ ability to hear and participate. With these technology aids, teachers can simulate an authentic classroom experience, comparable to the experience of in-person students, for students over Zoom. Additionally, through online resources such as Google Classroom, the schoolwork distributed to a virtual student is no different than what in-person students have access to; teachers post assignments on Google Classroom for all students, not just a select few. The only rigid dichotomy between the virtual and in-person experience is whether a student is sitting at home or school. Given that virtual students are administered classes nearly indis-
tinguishable from in-person classes, both types of students are tasked with the same assignments. Furthermore, homework does not take longer for in-person students to complete than online students. To require virtual students to an additional hour of class is to eliminate an hour of virtual students’ precious time meant for schoolwork. That additional hour drains virtual students of any incentive to work on homework, making the mere thought of schoolwork wearying. And at the end of the day, the signature awkwardness and deafening silence of Zoom rooms are amplified with less student attendance, thus making most attempts at learning counterproductive. The efficacy of additional instruction is limited to only a handful of virtual students. Obligating virtual students to attend these classes produce lackluster results which pale in comparison to the outcome of simply letting students study and work independently on what they need to. p
VIRTUAL VIEWPOINTS
Virtual students share their opinions on the new virtual after-hours
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I think that virtual after-hour periods should be optional and used only when students have extra questions for teachers.”
Going to virtual seminar is very awkward, and I’d rather just email or ask after class.” VIVIAN LIU | junior
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OPINIONS
illustration by | DANIELLE ZHANG
ERIC TKACHENKO | senior
SPREAD DESIGN BY KANISHK SHANMUGAM | CAROLINE EDGAR
