Teachers and students find themselves struggling to keep afloat during remote learning. The coronavirus numbers in Camas are higher than ever. For safety concerns Camas High School has adapted to a fully online course with a Zoom schedule. This schedule has brought pros and cons to the students and teachers of CHS.
“I’m actually a really big fan of the Zoom schedule compared to last year because I feel like it provides more of a balance within all the classes” said CHS Junior Neha Ravi.
Another CHS Junior Rose Kuhle added, “It’s really nice to have a ten minute passing period because that allows enough time to grab a snack & get ready for the next class.”
The positive feedback on the current zoom schedule does not just pertain to the students. CHS chemistry teacher Raelyn Hovig said that the zoom schedule is more helpful for creating a teaching environment online this year, compared to the only once weekly meeting last spring.
There are many positives to how this fall is structured, but there are also some difficulties faced by both students and teachers. Students are finding it harder to fully learn lessons and the material given through a screen.
“It’s hard when teachers assign a lot of busy work and I feel like I’m not learning anything,” said CHS Junior Lily Walsh.
CHS math teacher Elisabeth Edwards and Hovig expressed the struggles that come with online teaching. They described how hard it is to connect with students through chromebook screens and black squares.
“I’m just really worried that some students are building their house on sandy soil,” said Edwards. She said this in regards to low student engagement and how from her perspective, it is harder than ever to gage what students are understanding.
“I hope students walk away from two things with this, one, learn to advocate for yourself because I can’t see if you don’t know something…and two is time management students can really learn from this how to divvy up their time,” said Hovig.
The Zoom schedule has brought unpredictable struggles, but there are still some positives that students and staff, can take away and integrate back into normal school life when the pandemic ends. Although weekly labs in science, as well as lunch periods with friends are missed, the people at CHS are looking at the silver linings.