By Emma Diamond
About two weeks ago, on October 5th, hybrid learning began in the LREI High School. Freshman and sophomores go into the school building on Mondays and Tuesday while Juniors and Seniors attend in person school on Thursdays and Fridays. Students are required to be six feet apart and wear masks at all times. Eating has specific protocols. Students must face the same direction and not speak to each other while their masks are off for lunch. While the majority of students are participating in hybrid learning, some students have opted to take part in LREIremote, a full time at-home learning program. In addition to remote students, some teachers are also at home full time.
When asked what is working well in the hybrid learning plan, LREI students had a lot to say. Having to attend school online using Zoom every single day has been difficult for many students. Many found it challenging to spend all day looking at their computer screens and to stay focused on their classes while not in person. An 11th grader explained that attending school in person “does a good job of getting rid of Zoom fatigue,” pointing out that students stay focused longer and get a chance to have a break from their technology while going into the school building. Online school has been especially hard for the 9th grade because they do not know each other well yet. Many freshmen noted that hybrid has allowed them to meet and make friends with their grade. Furthermore, because classes are happening in larger spaces than they were pre pandemic (in order to accommodate social distancing), many teachers are using microphones in order to ensure that the entire class is able to hear them. Multiple students reported that teachers using microphones in class is “a great idea” that it is “extremely helpful for learning.” One junior said, “without the microphones, I would not be able to hear my teachers, and therefore, would be unable to learn.” She went on to explain that she is “impressed that the school thought of such a small detail that makes such a big difference in class.” These responses display the small aspects of hybrid learning plan that make big differences in how successful it is. In addition, many students explained that they feel safe during the school day, pointing to the Magnus App, handwashing stations, and properly distanced desks. Since safety is the main goal of the hybrid learning plan, these remarks show that the plan has been working successfully. Clearly, LREI students have many positive things to say about the hybrid learning plan.
When asked what could be improved about the hybrid learning plan, LREI students were eager to have their feedback heard by their peers, teachers, and administrators. One concern that was brought up across all four grades were the 90 minute classes. An 11th grader said, “it was hard to stay focused when classes were 65 minutes, but it is almost impossible during 90 minute classes.” Students also explained that in many of their classes, they were not being given long enough breaks. A 10th grader noted that “it is impossible to do anything in the three minute breaks I have gotten in some of my classes.” Furthermore, while the freshmen are happy to finally be able to spend time with each other in person, they wish they could spend time with different groups of people. One 9th grader said, “All my classes have almost all the same people in them.” Another freshman added, “I wish I could get to know more than just the people that just happen to be in my classes.” Students from multiple grades also brought up the issues with having a full time remote teacher. When students are in the building and have a class with a fully remote teacher, the entire class Zooms into class, while in the same physical room. In addition to students independently logging onto Zoom, there is a TV screen at the front of the room, which is added to the Zoom room. This way, the teacher is able to see where all the students are in the room. An 11th grader said that “it feels unnecessary to come into the school building when we are just going to be on Zoom for the entire class anyway.” In addition, A 12th grader noted that “there is always an echo when anybody speaks because of the TV screen at the front of the room.” While most of the concerns from students were not related to safety, two students explained that they do not feel safe during snack. A 10th grader noted that “people were standing very close together while eating their snack.” A junior reported feeling uncomfortable when their peers were standing closer than six feet apart and talking without their masks on during snack.
A student who is a part of the LREIremote program described the positives and negatives of being home while their peers are in person. This student explained that, while some teachers help him to feel included by having a student take notes to send to him after class and/or by asking all the students to log onto Zoom, he feels excluded from many of his classes. He noted that he can rarely see the board during classes and that he is often forgotten by the teacher. In addition, he explained that he has an extremely hard time hearing what the teacher is saying. It is definitely challenging for teachers to manage teaching in person and online simultaneously, but the Remote program should be refined so it is more successful for both the students and the teachers.
For the most part, hybrid learning has gone well for the first two weeks. Hopefully the school will continue to address concerns of the students as it continues.