Crossing The Threshold
TATUM REGISTER | APRIL 28, 2021 | FEATURES
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic spread across the nation causing mass societal changes and closures, learning institutions have been challenged to keep their students safe. Duval County Public Schools’ introduction of Duval HomeRoom as an alternative to on-campus instruction posed challenges to students and teachers. Such unique times have forced Stanton College Preparatory School students to be flexible while facing the ultimate hurdle of transitioning from online to on-campus instruction.
At the start of the second semester, the largest number of DHR students entered Stanton for the first time. Witnessing such an influx of new students on campus caused a culture shock among returning on-campus students.
“On the first day, I was a little scared, intimidated, and worried about making new friends because it was my first time on campus, but I definitely overcame those feelings of insecurity over time,” said freshman Spurthi Nrusimhadevara, who transitioned from virtual to on-campus school in the third quarter.
While overcoming the changes of switching from DHR, freshmen must also navigate a new campus. Without a 2020 Stanton Summer Bridge program, which normally introduces the incoming class to Stanton life, freshmen did not have the opportunity to receive guidance from upperclassmen during their transition to high school.
“My main worry about coming back to school was not being able to find my classes,” said freshman Coleson Marchy, who switched to on-campus instruction in the second quarter. “I remember when I toured the campus over summer; it was really big and scary.”
In addition to feeling anxious about entering school, students like Marchy must also overcome the challenge to maintain communication with their teachers as they transition between virtual and on-campus school.
“It’s been difficult to remain informed because we are not able to form the same kind of relationships with our teachers when we’re online compared to in-person,” said junior Vanessa Gould, who has been enrolled in DHR since August.
As students adapt to communicating online, teachers have had to adopt a more flexible teaching style as they work to teach both virtual and on-campus students, including accommodating virtual challenges such as technological malfunctions in order to ensure students are informed. As Stanton’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Coordinator, Ms. Tamla Simmons tackles the hurdle of virtual communication with the IB students by sending emails and updates to their Teams channel.
“I started by distributing a hard-copy newsletter every month; that way students are hearing class information from the source,” said Ms. Simmons. “Nowadays, I always email the copies to students on my email list, and post them on Teams.”
Whenever her students were contact-traced and switched to temporarily learning online, Ms. Simmons would also have those students attend her class through video calls on Teams. She, along with other teachers, has made extra effort to check in on her virtual students by calling them.
As teachers have been working hard to establish systems that maintain a sense of normalcy, students are challenged to find ways to overcome the obstacles of transitioning. Dr. Deana Zastrow, the DCPS psychologist, encourages students to be adaptive in overcoming the adversity they face while transferring between on-campus and online school.
“I think what [the pandemic] has taught me—and hopefully others—that flexibility is incredibly valuable in not only education but real life in general,” said Dr. Zastrow.
The pandemic challenges students and teachers to be flexible as they navigate the changes made to their institution of learning.The limited social environment of DHR caused struggle for certain students to adapt to.
“It is very difficult to muster up the motivation to do homework because there is no solid line between home and school,” said Gould.
As expressed by Gould, the struggle of focus that students face while attending virtual school is reflected in a Colorado University research study conducted on May 1, 2020. The results showed 73 percent of the student participants found it harder to remain motivated to do homework since the COVID-19 pandemic. Freshman Spurthi Nrusimhadevara experienced this first hand.
“I would sit in front of the computer and attend my live meetings, but as a visual learner I tended to get distracted by my phone and was not retaining information,” said Nrusimhadevara. “I felt like I wasn't doing my part as a student.”
A distracting atmosphere can make focusing on studies difficult for students who have traditionally attended on-campus school. In addition to enduring the distractions of attending virtual school, certain students struggle to overcome the challenge of attending school without being able to interact with friends.
“At home, you're on the computer all day with no physical interaction with anyone, and it takes a mental toll on you,” said senior Edison Tran, who transitioned from DHR to on campus instruction in the third quarter.
Despite the loneliness of online school, students have found silver linings. For certain students, the convenience of online school is beneficial for their work productivity and health.
“A positive aspect of online school was eliminating travel time to and from school, so I was able to get more sleep and had more time for homework,” said junior Morgan Mathews who has been enrolled in DHR since the beginning of the school year.
After experiencing DHR, Mathews feels not only relieved to be back in a social environment but also is pleased to have returned to an academically encouraging campus.
“In DHR there was little communication between students during class, and I missed the interaction and Stanton experience that in-person school provides,” said Mathews.
Transitioning between virtual and face-to-face instruction can be chaotic as transferring students may experience schedule or teacher changes. The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted changes to learning institutions across the nation. During such unusual times, crossing the threshold between physical and virtual school has demanded for students to be flexible in their journey.