The Ignorance Surrounding Remote Education and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have no end in sight as schools worldwide begin to shut down. According to the United Nations, this unprecedented precautionary measure has already affected nearly 850 million students globally, and many schools, including Exeter, are now turning to remote education. 

Many comments online, however, indicate that there’s a great deal of ignorance surrounding the details of remote learning, including from Exeter students. Often, these comments serve only to demonstrate the tremendous privileges some have and often overlook the difficulties the less fortunate are facing. In short, we are often blissfully and willingly ignorant about the challenges of others. 

Some argue that only those with time zone issues have the right to complain. This sentiment disregards the multitude of other issues students may face in virtual learning and restricts the rightful objections all sorts of people may have for other reasons.

Firstly, I believe everyone has the right to be upset about virtual learning. We don’t have the right to invalidate other people’s feelings, and doing so is absolutely unfair and ignorant. People feel what they feel. They are allowed to be upset. Campus is important to different people for different reasons, and this should always be respected. 

Seniors are one such example. They’ve looked forward to graduation and to other milestones for their entire Exeter careers. Now, they might never get to experience them. Other students may also have reasons to be let down by virtual learning. Regardless, it is important to remember we can be disappointed with the news of virtual learning while still respecting the reasoning behind other people’s disappointment. 

Virtual learning presents an entire new set of hardships for students besides only time zones. There are lots of reasons—what about students without proper learning environments? What about students with learning disabilities? What about those who depend on Exeter for a whole lot more than academics? What about those for whom campus is truly a home?

Exeter provides its students with equal opportunities and resources. We all live in the same dorms, go to the same classes and have the same supplies to succeed, like laptops, textbooks, paper and pens. This is not always the situation once we return home. We must remember that we all have different family situations, and many students may not have proper learning environments at home. 

This is also true for students who may not even attend Exeter. Not every family in the world has a computer or access to high-speed internet. Not every student can work comfortably within the home, whether it be a result of the environment (i.e. no workspace, poor lighting, etc.) or even troublesome relationships within the household. Some students may find campus is the only place they feel safe. They may rely on campus for food, for shelter, for support or for anything else that they can’t find at home. Failure to remember students with these hardships is a perfect demonstration of privilege and ignorance, and we should strive to acknowledge and support students with such difficulties. 

We must also remember students with learning difficulties or learning disabilities. How will virtual learning affect these students? 

Individualized education programs, or IEPs, are legal documents developed for public school students with learning disabilities. Countrywide, parents of students with IEPs are concerned about how the plans will carry through virtual learning. 

Will virtual learning have the same effects on students as the physical classroom did?

A friend of mine is learning under a 504 plan, which is different from an IEP. A 504 provides learning accommodations for a student who is able to function well in a regular education environment. She is worried about her performance through virtual learning because her school has yet to address how accommodations will be made for students like her, now placed in different, very abnormal learning environments.

Clearly, online classes pose a great challenge to students with learning difficulties. If you know you are able to perform well in virtual learning, you should not make the privileged assumption that all others will, too. Some people simply cannot do so, through no fault of their own. We all learn differently, and many are rightly scared about how virtual learning will impact them.

Outside the Exeter bubble, younger students who may not be as self-disciplined or may struggle to stay on task will surely struggle with virtual learning as well. This may be difficult for busy parents or big families, who will need to closely supervise such children. And a lot of students, not just young people, struggle with self-discipline, particularly when removed from the structure and environment of the classroom.

Lastly, we should all know that school provides much more than just academics for many students. At Exeter, we are a community. We are surrounded by our closest friends, the most supportive teachers and an overwhelming amount of resources that we can always rely on. Social distancing takes that away from us, and it is not easy to adjust to an isolated life at home. 

At every school, students are provided with what the New York Times calls a “social

outlet.” Humans need social interaction, but the COVID-19 pandemic is taking that away from many students as schools shut down. It is ignorant to forget the social benefits of school. Though it will be increasingly difficult to interact with people face-to-face, let’s not forget the great memories we have of campus, and let’s try to stay in touch with our friends. 

Obviously, there are many challenges to virtual learning beyond just time zones. During this ever-changing pandemic, we should be aware of that and respect these different challenges. We all have different privileges, and we should strive to remember that and not be ignorant towards people who are in different situations as us. If someone makes an ignorant comment, educate them. Most importantly, stay safe and wash your hands—knowledge and kindness is all we should be spreading.