COVID created multiple complications for students returning to Camas High School (CHS) this school year, but math students in algebra I have arguably struggled the most.

Math, as a subject in general, is always built up from previous knowledge. This makes it incredibly hard to learn if previous knowledge is skipped. In the last few years, online school made it easy to pass classes and not learn a single thing. In addition, teaching directly over Zoom can make it difficult to comprehend topics. 

Math teacher, Melia Fisher said, “Some of the time, you’ve got students who are taking advantage of [online learning], and sometimes you have students … you don’t know whether or not they are doing anything.” Because of this, the disparity in math classes this year is abnormally large. 

The math class with the most disparity is algebra I. The last time freshmen had a full school year was in sixth grade. Fisher said, “There’s a lot of growth in middle school, socially, emotionally, and academically, and not having that experience has really been a setback.” Due to this, the algebra I teachers at CHS struggle the most with trying to help their students be successful. 

A continuous problem after that extended period of online school is the lack of collaboration. Many students find it more efficient to work by themselves rather than with other people. Students are not able to receive that collaboration piece from in-person school, and in many cases, collaborating with others can help them understand the content better.

 Fisher said, “That collaborative piece is so broken.” This makes it harder for students to “recover” from the struggle in math that online school caused. If students can’t adapt back to in-person school, it will be even harder for them to get up to the level they need to be in for math. 

Ironically, in higher math classes, students seem to be struggling less. This may be due to the lower maturity level for algebra I students, who are directly coming from middle school. Algebra II student Samuel Tetro said, “I feel like it was better than before, going back from online school just made math so, so much easier.”

In reference to how online school was, AP Statistics student Shian Wen, said, “You could just look up the answers,…you don’t have anyone to talk to.” Students in higher-level math classes are able to take full advantage of having partners in the math classroom.

Although other subjects seem to be adjusting well coming back from online school, algebra I students and teachers are still struggling. Many hoped that coming back from online school would improve the learning of students, but it will still take a long time for most of them to catch up.