THE INTERLAKE INQUIRER
The Official Student Newspaper of Interlake High School
Privilege, Education,
and the Coronavirus:
How Technology
Has Shaped Learning
By Rohak Jain
While the start to the school year has been a rough one, the topics of privilege, education, and the coronavirus continue to pose issues to the teachers and administrators within our district. The need to combat this deficiency in adequate student learning troubles distraught educators and worried parents.
Online meeting and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams allow students and educators to collaborate and collectively overcome struggles within virtual learning. However, systems like these aren’t perfect—technology brings unexpected issues into play. Many financially lacking households lack a working computer and access to a stable internet connection. Curriculum is being rushed through and students find themselves unsure of their learning and conceptual understanding.
In efforts to gain more insight into the divide between virtual learning and the quality of education, I interviewed Dan Peterson, a CTE teacher at Interlake High School.
When I asked Mr. Peterson about his thoughts regarding the differences between regular and virtual learning, he said that he prefers teaching in-person, as it allows him to “effectively impart information” and “better gauge student reaction.” The limited student-teacher interactions clearly affect the one-on-one learning that normally occurs in a regular classroom environment. In addition, Mr. Peterson noted that he misses the “opportunity to work with students and get to know them.” The lack of a well-connected learning community is a major regret for the teaching community; the personality and interests of each student are made unclear. Frustrated by the problem-riddled nature of virtual learning, Mr. Peterson remembered being unsure about “how to do things in the classroom” and laughingly remarked that Microsoft Teams “is not built to turn in projects and quizzes.”
However, while in-person learning has provided unexpected burdens and challenges, it has introduced greater resilience and flexibility within the teaching community. When I asked Mr. Peterson about the things he would like to adopt from virtual learning upon returning to the classroom, he said that “letting students do quizzes online with time limits could work well.” He also remarked that he would like to “tape record lessons” when teaching in-person. That would make dealing with student absences more manageable. Finally, when I asked Mr. Peterson about the role of technology in his daily routine with the added pressures of online learning, he went on to say how “the role of technology didn’t increase very much” as it was something he had gotten used to as a CTE teacher.
Our daily routine is very much a sequence of virtual meetings and online learning, but dealing with the problems that have risen in the education of students has strengthened Interlake’s learning community. While struggles and deficiencies have plagued the first quarter of online learning, they have created memorable learning experiences that will prepare all of us for a memorable school year ahead.
Bellevue Arts Museum:
Events that Allow Our Youth to
Thrive Creatively During COVID-19
By Andrew Lee
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sudden transition of activities to online platforms that we as human beings have grown accustomed to conducting in physical settings can be overwhelming for both children and adults. Public health measures—such as lockdown and quarantine—have made many people feel isolated and lonely, much to the detriment of our mental health.
2020 has brought a whole string of terrible mishaps in addition to the coronavirus: the Australian wildfires, the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers, and the ongoing California wildfires. Due to everything that’s going on in the world right now, it may be difficult to see a silver lining.
However, COVID-19 has given us the time and the opportunity to express our creativities. Many people have learned and acquired new skills and hobbies as well as strengthened bonds with their families, rendering people more willing than ever to connect with their surrounding communities.
Art museums in particular have been trying to find ways to express their creativity during the pandemic. These organizations have taken one of the hardest hits in recent times: many people who frequent art museums or craft events have had to quarantine themselves in order to prevent possible spread or contraction of the virus. In spite of the hardships in planning, and possible demotivation due to the tough times, many arts organization continue to produce creative art content.
The Bellevue Arts Museum has been making strides and great progress during times of need. During the summer, the pandemic caused the annual Arts Fair (including Kids Fair) to be canceled. In place of this noteworthy event, the museum cooperated with the Bellevue School District to initiate a “Kids Fair to Go” event. During this event, the museum gave out 6,000 free art kits in a socially distanced manner for young kids who were interested in demonstrating and exploring creative crafts. The event lasted from 11 am to 4 pm from July 24th to July 26th. The three kit selections included instructions and materials for the art activities that were inspired by the museum’s summer curatorial works.
“With BAM being closed for the past few months, our education team has been trying new and fun ways to engage with our young artist community,” said Mary Kate Anselmini, Bellevue Arts Museum education manager. “We miss being creative within the walls of the museum with young artists and want to make sure that everyone has access to art-making until we can reopen our doors and Get Crafty together.”
Furthermore, the recent influx of COVID-19 cases in October meant that the annual celebration of trick-or-treating was unsafe. Therefore, in order to preserve the Halloween spirit, the Bellevue Arts Museum undertook changes to the tradition of BAM-O-WEEN. This year, young kids are able to participate in a socially distant and safe pickup from 11 AM to 4 PM on the last day of October for homemade Halloween-themed art kits created by BAM staff and volunteers! These kits included various Halloween inspired art activities, including spooky scratch drawings, superhero cape pins, and haunted fairy houses.
Additionally, the Bellevue Arts Museum website provides a fun educational video that includes information about the event, as well as some basic instructions on how to create some of the crafts in the kit. As a fun way to celebrate this year’s Halloween, Mary Kate and Erin from BAM’s Education Team have created their own homemade costumes, which are (respectively) an erases and its archnemesis, super glue.
BAM will continue to hold fun, creative events that also comply with safety precautions. This expressive space will not be put down by the bleak circumstances. After all, it is important to promote the creativity and happiness of our youth.
WILDFIRES REACH WASHINGTON
By Lydia Bae
In the last few decades, wildfires have routinely devastated the United States. They spring up yearly, starting in the dry heat of late summer, then spreading from state to state. Each year, the fires grow exponentially. In 2013, wildfires burned over 1.5 million acres of land. By 2020, they burned over 8 million acres of land.
A number of factors combined made this year’s fire season particularly devastating. The dry heat of summer on the west coast increased the flammability of the forests. Once the fires started in one area, they rapidly spread, aided by heavy winds and droughts. Climate change exacerbated the heat and droughts, while the fires themselves strained a system already stretched by this year’s COVID crisis. Many who lost their homes and possessions were already facing an economic crisis due to unprecedented levels of unemployment and job loss.
On paper and in the news, these tragedies seemed distant. Endless casualties have flooded our phones daily this year, from the stories of lost neighborhoods and fleeing wildlife to apocalyptic warnings of war, from memorials of casualties from the pandemic to continual acts of violence in cities.
This time, it was Washington that was burning.
The wildfires in Washington began around Labor Day. Many had to pack overnight and run, taking only the barest essentials. In five days, more acres of land burned than in nearly any other previous wildfire season. Even Bellevue, which was left mostly intact, was filled with smoke for weeks.
For many students at Interlake, the wildfires meant that homes continually smelled smoky, even with closed doors and windows. The sky was obscured by the same smoke. Pictures of states with blood-orange skies in the mid-afternoon flooded social media websites. One student worried about the influence of climate change on the continuing fires. Another was concerned about the health impacts of inhaling smoke for days on end. Considering that at the height of the fires, parts of Washington had their air quality ranked as hazardous, this was a concern likely shared by many.
In a year marked by tragedy after tragedy, the wildfires were another disaster that exacerbated the growing levels of worry, fear, and exhaustion for many. However, unlike COVID and the economic downfall, the wildfires will only get worse with each year. They are a reminder that climate change is not a looming threat on the horizon. Climate change is here and we are seeing its impacts now.
CLUB-FORMING & COVID-19
By Sayana Isaac
COVID-19 has had a large impact on schools across the world. Procrastination problems, technology issues, and adapting to new environments have proven to be great challenges for every kid. In high school, however, kids are involved in so much more than school. From taekwondo to trivia, debate to drama, swimming to sculpting, and piano to poetry, extracurriculars take up many hours for high schoolers who are looking to gain new experiences before heading off to college. In particular, many high school students are looking to start new activities and inspire change in their local communities. At Interlake High School, many high schoolers have taken initiative and started their own clubs this school year, but COVID-19 has made it immensely difficult to do so.
Junnie Kim, a junior, is the founder of Interlake Mediatric Association, a club that works with the International Alzheimer's Association to provide students with access to STEM-based volunteer opportunities and internships. Though she is happy with how far her club has come this fall, as they have recently begun meetings, Junnie explained that she faced challenges in marketing her club. If school was in-person, posters and announcements would have been a sufficient way to bring students to join Interlake Mediatric Association. Because those methods were not possible options this year, Junnie learned how to "strategically use Instagram" to build up her club. However, Junnie does think that there are some benefits to online club-forming. Even by only working together online, Junnie and her officers have developed a strong sense of community in forming a club that they are all passionate about. Junnie excitedly said, "If we can manage to create a club without seeing each other in person for months, our team can endure almost anything!"
Many other club founders would agree that club-forming during this time is not the easiest task. Natalie Mckenzie, a sophomore, recently started the Biotechnology Club at Interlake, which provides students different ways to explore fields in science through working in the lab. Like Junnie, Natalie felt that it was very difficult to advertise her club. "Finding club members was extremely difficult online. In school, we could’ve just put up posters and talked to classmates, but on Teams, we have to directly chat with students and ask teachers to make announcements." Although it is easier to get guest speakers to chat with Biotechnology Club members online, Natalie is disappointed that she cannot engage her club members in labs, which she was really looking forward to.
However, some clubs are doing better than others. Raza Khan, a sophomore, is the founder of Interlake Graphic Design Club. Though the Interlake Graphic Design Club also faced challenges in advertising, Raza explained how the ongoing pandemic did not really change his club. He said that "not much would be different in person because we specialize in digital graphic design." Some things clearly work better in a virtual world than others.
Overall, Junnie, Natalie, and Raza have all noticed a surprising influx in clubs at Interlake this year. Though Natalie and Raza believe that the influx of clubs is a result of the extra downtime that high schoolers have with school being online, Junnie thinks that high schoolers are all just "itching to do something, whether it's finding a new show on Netflix or taking up a new hobby. And honestly, why not? Trying to combat the feeling of potential loneliness at home with a new project is always fun!" Congratulations to these club founders who have found ways to overcome and adapt to our changing world, while also sharing their passions with one another.
AT-HOME HOBBIES
By Emily Tommasini
Trying new hobbies and activities can be interesting, but how you define interesting is up to you. New hobbies can be great if you’re the adventurous type. Hobbies can also be difficult to pinpoint, though; sometimes, people don’t even know what they’re looking to accomplish or what they even like. Finding an activity that suits you can be even more difficult now during the time of COVID-19. It’s okay if your daily activities have consisted of binge-watching new shows added to Netflix while wearing the same sweats for the third day in a row. For those looking to pick up a new hobby or maybe learn a little bit more about themselves, Pinterest is always a great social platform to use. For those who don’t use social media or just don’t have the time to go digging up possible new activities and hobbies, you are in for a treat!
Hobbies don’t have to be limited to just doing things that bring you joy. While having fun is an important aspect of life, so is your mental health and your body. One health website has listed a few activities you can do to stay active and mentally healthy. These activities include (but are not limited to) things such as going for a run or for a walk outside (remember to social distance), reading a new book (you can find awesome eBooks through the King County Library System, and thriftbooks.com is a great secondhand online bookstore), following workout videos (YouTube has plenty), or spending time with those who you love such as family members or a close friend (with the necessary precautions in place). If you need some mind stimulation, puzzles are also a great way to go!
You might think that being at home limits pursuing new hobbies, but that’s just your closed mindset speaking for you. For those who are looking to keep their brain stimulated, learning a new language can be a great way to go! According to “Hobbies You Can Learn at Home Starting Today” by Jess Lyn, Duolingo—not to be confused with Dua Lipa—makes it “super easy to learn a new language in only a few minutes per day!” Both the app and website are free!
On the topic of finding hobbies to pursue when you’re bored, Blogger Alex Cerball, has a few great suggestions. TED Talks are a fun way to learn about many different things. The list goes on: painting, coloring, writing, journaling, starting a new project, creating a blog, finding new music, curating playlists, and so much more.
If none of these hobbies work for you, you can simply put those three-day-old sweatpants back on and just focus on breathing. It’s not easy to start something new, especially during a pandemic, so give yourself some space. If you can’t bring yourself to try a new hobby, you can always try another time!
CONCENTRATING DURING CLASS
By Annika Choi
This year, students from all over the world have had to get used to one common thing: online learning. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has prevented kids from physically going to school every day due to the fear that the virus will infect more and more people.
Staying at home has brought opportunities to experience new things for many people. Instead of learning in classrooms, playing sports at the gym, or eating in the cafeteria with friends, students must do all of that at home, now. A few years ago, we would never have believed that we would be able to do so many things from home. Indeed, the idea of playing sports at home would be absurd. It still is, in fact, because it’s impossible to compare chatting with friends during class to texting them from home. It’s similarly impossible to compare taking a test at school to filling out a form from home. These circumstances raise many questions. Is not being able to directly talk with friends a good thing? Will staying at home all day impact the focus of students?
This is something that is already hard for many people during class at school. We are easily distracted by things such as talking to our friends or even trying out someone’s new pencil. The smallest things can impede our concentration. What happens if all the distracting elements that exist at school become amplified at home? While learning at home, there might be a phone or a picture with your childhood friends sitting right next to you on your table. These things would not have been there if you were at school. Suddenly, a notification from Snapchat pops up on your phone. You start conversing with your friend, staring at the photo, and thinking about the pool picnic you had with your relatives when you were nine. Your younger sibling might come into the room without knocking—or were they there this whole time?
As there are so many more distractions at home, many students have found focusing on schoolwork and online classes a much bigger challenge. After being asked if they were able to focus during online school, one student said, “No, I’m not able to focus at all. It’s very difficult because there are a lot of distractions such as pets, phones, and parents.” These distractions make working difficult; even though you may take precautions to avoid them, there will still always be accidents that take up all your focus and result in not being able to hear the “most important information that you must not miss” from your teacher, such as the test coming up.
Affirming the previous point, one student said, “I try my best to stay focused, but there are many distractions like my phone, Among Us, and social media.” Another student stated that they “try to focus during online classes, but it is pretty hard to because everything is on a small screen and it is very easy to just walk away from the computer or turn off the audio so that you can’t hear the teacher.” This shows that opportunities to do other things while in class or even to concentrate on something else entirely becomes a lot easier when school is virtual. As a result, both students and teachers must to work a lot harder: if the students are not listening, assignments get forgotten or turned in late. One student said that “not focusing as much has impacted how I do my schoolwork. Now, I have to go back to the class OneNote or read things again to understand.” Due to these distractions, students have to spend extra time by going back to find instructions, which takes up additional time. Sometimes, what could also happen is that students may rush to finish an assignment that they didn’t know about on time, which can also affect the quality of their work. Additionally, it takes up a lot of the teacher’s time to then clarify assignments to students.
Overall, screens are a big factor that lead to distractions. On this matter, a student stated that “staring at a screen makes my attention span get shorter during the day, which just makes it harder to focus on classes as time goes by.” Students practically spend all day staring at a screen, now.
As the year of 2020 is drawing to an end, many students are struggling with focusing during online learning. There are many distractions that simply can’t be helped, which may impact concentration during online class and while doing homework. What are your thoughts on staying focused during online school?
Elementary School Students
Parent Opinions on Online Learning
By Kristy Chow
Ever since last year, COVID-19 has upended every part of our lives. School has transferred to remote learning in March of 2020 and has remained online until now. Sitting in front of the computer an focusing for over six hours is not easy for high schoolers. For younger kids still in elementary school, it is surely even harder. This year, the Bellevue School District distributed iPads to all kindergarteners and first graders and laptops to all second to fifth graders, allowing them to join classes and do schoolwork online. Like the high-schoolers, elementary students have live-instructional sessions in the morning. Then, instead of asynchronous time in the afternoon, elementary students have individual support sessions, which are individual meetings with their home teacher or small group meetings with their classmates.
To find out more about the remote learning experience for elementary students, we decided to conduct a survey on parent opinions. We sent out a survey to elementary school students via their BSD emails. The email stated that the survey was specifically for parents and that all results would be kept anonymous.
The first question of the survey asked parents agreed with the statement “online learning differs a lot from in-school learning.” Nearly half of the participating parents chose the option “strongly agree” and over 30% of parents chose the option “agree.” We then asked if they agreed that “online learning affects my child’s learning progress in a bad way.” Only around 35% of the parents chose options “strongly agree” or “agree,” which was significantly lower than expected. This indicates that BSD has been trying to reduce the pandemic’s impact on academics with success in online learning. Next, we asked the same question again but changed “learning progress” to “social life.” This time, over 67% of the parents selected “strongly agree” or “agree” while only 16% of parents selected “disagree” or “strongly disagree.” From these results, we can see that online learning may have affected elementary students more socially than academically.
After this overview, we started asking about the smaller details of remote learning. When we asked parents whether they agreed that their child’s learning schedule was appropriate, more than 40% agreed, but around 20% believed that the schedule was too short and 15% believed it ran too long. We investigated and found that the parents who thought the schedule was too long mostly had children in younger grades, such as kindergarten or first grade. A possible reason for this result is that it is harder for younger kids to focus on the computer all morning. Parents may be concerned about screen fatigue, which is particularly bad for eyesight. On the other hand, there were always a few parents from every grade who believed that their children’s learning schedule was too short. This may be because the remote learning schedule is significantly shorter than the schedule for in-school learning.
We continued by asking parents about their opinions on the different learning sessions. Regarding live instructional sessions, we asked if parents agreed that it helped students learn and get to know their classmates. One-fourth of parents strongly agreed and over 30% of parents agreed. For small group meetings, we asked if parents agreed that those sessions allowed their child to interact more with classmates. 44% of parents agreed and almost 20% of them strongly agreed. Finally, we asked parents if they agreed that the individual support sessions helped their children and provided more customized help. Over 40% of parents agreed, 20% of parents strongly agreed with it and only around 12% of parents disagreed or strongly disagreed with it. From the data, we can infer that the majority of parents are decently satisfied with online learning, although they would like some changes to be made to improve parental satisfaction.
Other than the learning sessions, we also asked what parents thought about the online resources BSD provided, such as Freckle and Kahoot. Over 60% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that online resources helped their children better understand and get more practice on different topics. This shows that BSD should consider providing more online resources to elementary students, even if in-school learning starts, because the resources allow students to learn and practice on their own.
In addition, we asked parents whether they would choose online learning if it remains an option next year. Almost half of the parents chose “in-school learning, because that’s just how school works” while 10% chose the option of “online learning, because it helps me to know what my children are learning in the moment and I can provide support whenever they need help.”
Furthermore, there were a number of other reasons for choosing in-school and online options. Some reasons listed by parents who chose in-school learning are “the social part is very important and students do not receive that part through online learning” and “it is a better way for my child to learn and play with peers” and “children can experience more of the outside world.” Reasons listed by parents who chose online included: “I don’t have other children to care for, so I can be with my child during online school” and “I want to spend more time with my children.” A few parents chose hybrid, with one of the reasons being “to see my child more while working full time.”
Finally, we asked parents if they were satisfied with BSD’s arrangements during this period of online learning. Around 20% of parents said they were very satisfied and 37.5% of parents said they were satisfied. There were also around 10% of parents who were not satisfied. From this, we can see that parents still think there are areas for improvement. In addition, we asked parents to write out anything else they wanted to express. Over 20 parents wanted to appreciate the effort that teachers were putting in during this difficult time and applaud them. We agree as we can see that all the teachers are working hard to keep everything on track and make sure we still learn. Other than that, there were many comments on how in-school learning is important for elementary students. Many would like to start in-school learning as soon as possible. Parents also commented that there were “too many technical challenges that could be mitigated with better technical education for the teachers” and complained that “time is too short, so teachers are trying to squeeze information in . . . no fun at all”. A few expressed doubt regarding online school, saying, “let’s stop pretending like online schooling is real—it’s not” and “online learning is just not appropriate for kindergarten.”
However, overall, it seems that the Bellevue School District is trying to provide the best support possible during this time. Fortunately, an email was sent out a few weeks ago, stating that if the situation allows, kindergarten to second grade students who chose the hybrid option will be able to return to an in-school setting. Considering the survey results, most families are likely thrilled about this news.
Now, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the parents who answered our survey. They helped us get a better understanding of the situation that elementary students are dealing with. Let’s all hope that the pandemic situation improves so that we can all go back to our normal lives!
Standardized Testing
By Gauri Gupta
The global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. Due to health precautions, schools have been operating remotely since last spring, which is likely to continue until the end of the school year. Due to the uncertainty and chaos surrounding the pandemic, all fifty states were given waivers for standardized tests for the previous cycle. This article will explore the current state of standardized testing and how it may change this upcoming school year.
Many states were expecting testing waivers for the 2020-2021 school year because most schools are still operating online. However, on the third of September, U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, informed states that they should not count on getting the same waivers for this school year as they received last spring.
In a letter to chief state school officers, DeVos said that these annual, summative assessments in language arts, math, and science are "at the very core" of the bipartisan agreement behind the Every Student Succeeds Act, the main federal K-12 education law. At a time when vulnerable students have been hurt the most by the pandemic, such tests are "among the most reliable tools available to help us understand how children are performing in school." Without this data, according to DeVos, the American people would not have transparency and accountability in public education. She believes that these standardized tests are used to inform which students and schools need additional help in terms of funding and technology.
On the issue of testing, DeVos has some left-leaning civil rights groups lining up against her, as not everyone agrees with her statement. U.S Congressman Anthony Brindisi believes that states should be given the flexibility to forgo federally required standardized testing if needed. Brindisi wrote in a letter to DeVos that “students and teachers are facing unprecedented challenges this school year. Some schools are only offering online instruction, which many students find less effective than in-person learning. Many parents are finding themselves juggling childcare and employment concerns, which can greatly disrupt at-home learning. We cannot expect a child to perform their best on a standardized test in this environment. Because we don’t know how this school year will go, your decision to forgo any waivers seems to have been made prematurely.”
Even if waivers are not provided for this school year, there are still many questions regarding how students will take the test and in what kind of environment (whether in-person or online). A key factor that could possibly affect standardized testing for this year is whether or not Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, wins the upcoming election. Although he refrains from mentioning anything about standardized testing in his campaign (and has in fact criticized it), Biden’s education team will likely grant testing waivers for the 2020-2021 school year if he becomes president.
There are still many uncertainties about standardized testing for this school year, with nothing set in stone yet. There will likely be more clarity on this topic after the elections towards the end of the calendar year. The uncertainty should not be prolonged. We can only hope that the outcome will be just and considerate towards all students and schools.
Effects of Quarantine:
The Social Development of Youth
By Peter Lee
Children in this generation are strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools have closed, leading to limited opportunities for young students to socialize. With school districts transitioning to online-based learning, isolation has been challenging for many of our youth. This abrupt transition may have caused negative effects on students still developing their social skills.
Without the proper social skills that we usually gain from frequent physical interactions, it becomes difficult for many young kids to adjust to an isolated environment. The absence of in-person school and friend-to-friend interaction takes away opportunities to build friendships. This is a struggle in our community in particular, as the Bellevue School District does not require students to turn on cameras. Therefore, most students keep their cameras off. Group activities and projects, which are among the best ways to create friendships in class, are not quite the same experience. Students often refrain from turning on cameras, which makes it difficult to interact—or crack jokes. Same goes for recess, which was one of the best ways for kids to have fun and make friends with their peers. However, due to online learning, many kids no longer have the chance to do this in the same way. Thus, most students, especially students who are new to the school or the district, are unable to create friendships with as much ease as when school was in-person.
Furthermore, the lack of friendship building is not the only negative effect of isolation. Some children who dealt with bullying or social anxiety prior to the pandemic might have found social distancing to be a relief, but others with mental-health issues or a less-than-happy home environment are more likely to suffer from socially distancing at home. In addition, there are children who may not have access to school materials and resources due to financial instability. Others may be burdened with at-home stress and responsibilities. Those without anyone to bond with at home will face a much harder time in quarantine.
On the other hand, quarantine has not been entirely bad. Over the past few months in quarantine, many kids have become better-behaved and more independent. Many parents have reported that their kids were more receptive to staying at home because that allowed them to spend more quality time with their families. Research Professor Peter Gray noticed that there have been substantial reports of children feeling happier and less stressed now than prior to the pandemic. By changing our way of interacting and having fun as well as adapting properly to our new environments, we will be able to discover vast improvements in terms of bringing greater motivation and happiness to young people.
ADAPTED
ALTERNATIVE
AUTUMN ARTICLES
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It's been really difficult for kids in high school to participate in different activities and events because of COVID-19. Students at Interlake are having a tough time because everything is online. However, they are working hard to turn their ideas into reality, even online!
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Music is fun to play. There are a lot of talented musicians at Interlake! However, during online school, it has been harder for the students to learn and harder for teachers to teach. Everything is different when it's done through a screen. After talking to some music students and teachers at Interlake, we saw that everyone is definitely having a little bit of a difficult time. Nonetheless, Interlake's music community is doing great!
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Wildfires have been a routine problem over the last couple of years. This year’s wildfires were worsened by the rising temperatures of the summer and droughts. More parts of Washington burnt this year than nearly any other year. The people who lost their homes were also facing joblessness and a weaker welfare system because of the pandemic. Even in places without fires, the smoke filled the skies and was detrimental to the air quality. The wildfires are a sign that climate change is here.
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Finding a new activity to do for fun can be hard. The pandemic can make looking for a new activity to do at home even harder, but don’t lose hope! There are still a couple new things you can try, such as spending time with your family or taking a walk. You could also pick up new skills, such as baking or photography. There are so many options to explore!
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Whether or not there's going to be standardized testing for the 2020-2021 school year is a constant debate. Some believe that students shouldn't have to take these tests, e others believe that assessments are a reliable tool to help us understand how children are performing in school. There are also many questions about how students will take the test, whether in-person or online. Whatever the decision may be, we hope it will consider all of the current health concerns and be fair towards all students and schools.
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This year, students have noticed that concentrating during online classes has become difficult. There are many more distractions at home that prevent us from completely focusing on our schoolwork. Many people admit that they are distracted by things such as their phone and social media. Spending more time on homework has used up a lot of extra time. It's definitely not easy to concentrate during online classes when it requires staring at a screen for many hours!
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Online learning has been tough on high school students as well as elementary school students. We conducted a survey on what the parents of young students think about virtual school. Overall, we found that parents believe there are more pros than cons to the effects of online school on the social lives of young kids. We also found that most people are satisfied with the online resources the Bellevue School District is providing!
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While the start to the school year has been a rough one, the topics of privilege, education, and the coronavirus continue to pose issues to the teachers and administrators within our district. Getting used to teaching and learning in a virtual environment has been difficult, but we can use our past experiences to make remote learning a fun, safe, and welcoming place for all Interlake students!
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Students have been greatly affected from this pandemic. Although transitions have been made by school districts to help students adjust, isolation has caused negative effects to mental health, from stress and insecurities to the loss of social spark. Especially for younger students starting to grow their social skills, the absence of physical interaction can feel lonely but foster independence.
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2020 has been a rough year due to the problems created by the pandemic. Many art museums have been affected due to the decrease in the number of people attending these events. However, this hasn't stopped the Bellevue Arts Museum from promoting creativity, such as through "Kids Fair to Go" in July and the recent "Bam-O-Ween" in October.
TEACHER INTERVIEWS
MR. CALVERT
( ENGLISH & THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE )
INTERVIEWED BY ANDREA LIAO
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
I don’t know how this happened or why this is the case in Bellevue, but the culture here is that students hardly ever show their faces. In other districts, it’s the norm or even a requirement. For teachers, it’s extra hard to get to know kids when they’re just a tile with initials—I don’t really know who anyone is.
I feel like virtual learning turns up the volume on everything, whether good or bad. The more shy and reserved kids become even more shy and reserved: everything is amplified. At the same time, though, I’ve noticed that some students have emerged as talkers and leaders. These students probably wouldn’t’ve been talkers or leaders if we were in-person. Another thing is that the chat allows the more reserved kids to participate in ways they might not have been able or willing to participate in before.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss everything about it! From the “how are you doing?” greetings before class starts to the laughter, I miss it all. I also wish I could still tell when someone was having a bad day. These relationships with our students give us teachers energy, and a lot of that has been taken away. It really comes down to the minutiae: the ten-second, twenty-second little things, little moments. I really miss seeing people’s faces and smiles; I miss high-fives and bumping into students in the hallway; I especially miss having lunch with kids.
I realized that next year, if you or other current seniors come back to Interlake to visit, I might not even necessarily be able to recognize my former students, since I don’t even really “know” you.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
The biggest challenge is not knowing who’s in trouble. If someone doesn't self-advocate, it’s almost impossible to know who to reach out to. Although there is a sense of who those people are, it’s important to reach out to people before they’re in crisis. If we were in-person, I could simply ask students to stay after class. However, during remote learning, it’s easy for kids who are not engaged to ignore the outreach. Now, there’s no way to interrupt a kid from going down a deep hole.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
Online teaching has forced me to be a bit more overt and explicit with my daily instructions and the reminders I give. Now, I make greater use of OneNote and update the calendar more often. Missing class is actually not as bad for students as it would’ve been if we were in-person. By using online resources, students are able to go back to the day they were gone to catch up, whereas in the past everything would just keep moving. On the other hand, teachers are working harder than they ever have before. For me, prepping lessons and preparing for class takes several times longer than it used to. As a result, it’s really exhausting to be on my laptop all day. From teachers to students, screen fatigue is real.
MR. RIERSON
( CHEMISTRY )
INTERVIEWED BY ANANYA CHAVALI
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning? How do they compare?
Regular learning is a totally different thing. In the face-to-face classical instruction model, I get to read the class a lot more. I teach because I love to work with kids. I miss my students so much; I’m still getting to know you guys this year, but just not in a way that I’m familiar with. A lot of what I do—both professionally and personally—is really dependent upon my connection with my students. Whether that is personally getting refueled by seeing the energy of my students or getting to know how they’re doing on a daily basis, that’s the sort of personal connection. Professionally, reading the body language of my students to know who’s struggling, whether that’s struggling academically or personally, and understanding what their needs are academically by trying to understand what their body language presents. A lot of times, people wear what’s going on in their body language and their communication and that tells me, “Hey, I should really check in on this person about this or that thing.” And again, professionally, in terms of questioning strategy, one of the things that’s very important as an educator is to ask the right questions at the right times, so that students can make the connections that maybe they aren’t making right now. A lot of that, to me, is about being able to read my audience. So, that’s something that is totally absent in the distanced learning model. There are things about distanced learning that I think are cool and unique. I think that there is a different personal side present. Whether my daughter pops her head into the screen while I’m in the middle of a meeting or somebody turns on their camera and I get to see something about their life (maybe they show me their dog), it’s a different aspect. I appreciate that and I do think that there are some systems of feedback that we’re using now that we didn’t use as much in face-to-face that maybe benefit both parties.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss you guys—that’s what I miss.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
Professionally, I think trying to find lessons that are varied enough and require some sort of interaction from the student so that it’s not just listening to some old, bald, white guy talking about chemistry. There’s something for you to do to that furthers your understanding and that’s reinventing a model that wasn’t what I used before because we were face-to-face. Finding those new systems of instruction has been really challenging. Part of it is motivation. I do this job because I love working with kids and I’ve come to realize that I get my motivation from you guys. Without that part there, I find that I don’t have the same level of motivation and it’s kind of a grind sometimes.
What are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when were back in the classroom?
I think that there are some lesson formats that I’ve come up with in distanced learning that I think would still be really functional for students at school. It’s caused me to think differently about how I present instruction. I also think that unlike previous years, I was really focused on how much curriculum we have to get through. Now, I wanna make sure that I respect our time in the classroom and use it well. The problem is that the lens I used to characterize doing it well was all based on what we accomplished academically, and it wasn’t enough based on what we did before. By providing time to check in and chat with students, I think that that’s something that’s important that I carry on—making sure I dedicate some time at the start of class to just check in and chat.
Say you were a student during this time of virtual school. What kind of student would you be? The snacker? The one who naps during class?
I would be the person that joined the meeting late and then minimized my meeting window and then just played a game online and surfed the internet. I would not be paying attention. It’d be like that case where the teacher is like, “Hey Jeff, what’s the answer to problem number three?” It would take me a minute; there would be silence in the class, and the teacher would be like, “Jeff?” Then I’d be like, “OH, yep, hold on, sorry, I just . . . went to the bathroom.” That would be me.
MS. FISCHER
( PSYCHOLOGY & WORLD HISTORY )
INTERVIEWED BY KRISTY CHOW
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
I personally much prefer in-person learning, and I think most educators I talked to would agree on that. At the moment, virtual would be the safest option, and we are lucky and privileged to have the technology resources we do, which makes me feel like virtual learning would be more possible compared to other districts where they do not have 1 to 1 laptops and hot spots in general.
What is one thing you miss the most about in-person learning?
I really miss seeing people, but I understand why students don’t want to turn their cameras on, and I respect that. There is usually also so much communication that is happening non-verbally, which is something we are missing out on when we cannot see each other. I also really like my classroom to be like a community, based on discussion and group work and learning from each other, and that’s difficult to recreate right now. I also miss seeing people on the hallways and being in a community. It’s all just easier in person.
What are some challenges you have encountered during virtual teaching?
Learning the technology is one of the challenges. I feel comfortable with the technology, but that doesn’t mean all my students do. Trying to understand where people are at and trying to figure out how to help them is probably one of the biggest challenges. Also, as teachers, we have like a bag of tricks in terms of activities we can do in class, and now I have to re-think that a lot because there are certain things that won’t work the same way.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
I like the assignment feature in Teams, it gives a nice list for students and for me. I also really like the feature where teachers are able to attach a rubric, directly write feedback, click return, and students get a notification that the assignment is returned. I always forget to hand in work back in when we are in-person, so that is one thing I would like to keep. There are also some really cool platforms, like things on Nearpod I would like to reuse, or some of the polling on Teams and Google Forms that I never used a lot. I’d like to continue using those when we go back to in-school learning.
How big of an impact do you think COVID-19 will have on students' IB results?
I think it depends on which IB class you are talking about. For my class specifically, I think the pandemic would impact results from a small to moderate extent, with one reason being that psychology is an SL class. Another reason is that IB cut out paper two, which means we have less content to cover. It really depends on the student, but overall, probably yes. Still, the student shouldn’t be put off by that. I’m going to do my best to provide guidance regarding what we are not covering, so that students can self-study during this online learning time, but I still hope to cover everything in our twice-a-week live session. I would also encourage students to try not to focus on the test, which I know is way easier said than done, and some people are still going to do that, I probably would have too, but I think that standardized testing is going to change a lot as a result of COVID. We’re that tests don’t show everything that’s valuable about a person. That being said, I also understand that standardized testing gives college credit to people. It’s pretty complicated, but I think that it’s not the end of the world, as there are still a lot of options and I think people are still going to be able to do well. For example, our IA is now 35% of the IB grade. It used to be just 25%, but because they cut our paper two, they’ve increased the percentage. We are starting our internal assessments this November, so we will have a lot time to do that, and I think people can still do quite well on that.
Any other comments on virtual learning or just school in general?
I think that we are all having to learn a new way to do school right now. There is a thing in teaching where we call it the hidden curriculum (the idea of “do you know how to keep things going?”). It’s something like whether you do your homework, or how to ask your teacher when you have questions, those are the skills that up until now have been more less the same because everything is online. I think this is the reason why everything feels a little weird and I would just encourage students to approach this situation with a growth mindset. I think we can still learn a lot in this format, it’s definitely not ideal and there is a lot to be stressed about right now, but honestly your teachers are desperately wanting to help you, because we really miss you guys. Therefore, I think having patience with yourself and doing your best to stay connected, get exercise, get sleep, eat right, and try new things is the best way to go. It will be interesting to see what skills you guys want to take back with you once we get back into the building too!
MR. EVANS
( MATHEMATICS )
INTERVIEWED BY SAYANA ISAAC
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
No doubt, virtual learning is no substitute for in-person learning, but the goals remain the same, we just have to go about them differently. Teachers and students, after years of habit building, have to learn a new way to do school. I’m excited about the challenge of adapting to virtual teaching because I know I will gain new skills and be forced to try things out of my comfort zone.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
Without any hesitation I can say what I miss most about in-person teaching is having the students there in the classroom. It was perhaps taken for granted how easy it was to check-in with students and have those informal conversations before or after class.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
The biggest challenge is the uncertainty of what’s happening on the other end of my monitor. We try to monitor the work and check-in when we can, but there are a lot of questions where I’m not confident in my answer. How are they doing? Are they actually here? Are they understanding? There are also the daily challenges from tech issues. Virtual learning demands a lot of patience and flexibility. As you can expect, no matter how much planning or trialing you do, the unexpected will happen.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
For years I have wanted to produce recorded lessons as a resource for students and I want to continue that when classes are fully in-person. I’ve learned a lot about how to create effective videos that add value to the lesson. I also see the benefit of having an online component to the class, such as Teams, that can be used for communication and collaboration.
MR. GILLESPIE
( BAND & MUSIC )
INTERVIEWED BY ANANYA CHAVALI
School so far has been complicated, and even that is an understatement. Stepping foot into the realm of virtual school has been a quite difficult experience for some classes, and there’s no doubt that music is one of the harder classes to conduct through a screen. I decided to take a dive into the Interlake Music Community and talk to teachers and students about their opinions regarding music during distanced learning. What is a challenge you’ve encountered and what are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when we’re back in the classroom?
So much of what we do in a performing arts class is based on relationships. It’s us together in a room, playing music, making music in real time. The challenge that’s big in this virtual situation is that were not easily able to do that. There’s latency issue and lagging and we can’t play together over a Teams call. Being separated by these screens makes that connection that’s so special about playing music challenging to overcome. I think trying to replace it with other activities, just to get that same meaning, is what’s challenging.
On the other hand, I really think that the collaborative work that we’re moving into is something that we will retain when we move into whatever normal happens after this situation. What I mean by that is putting more of a focus on collaborative work or group activities because we’ve noticed students in IB music and our ensembles are more engaged. Those smaller settings mean that they are sharing out more than they would in a large class setting. I think that when we go back to the classroom, for IB music particularly, I can see us doing more group work and more collaborative projects that we haven’t done before.
MRS. BONESS
( ENGLISH )
INTERVIEWED BY GAURI GUPTA
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
I firmly affirm that there is no substitute for learning face-to-face and in-person with students. Because it’s real, in the moment, and organic. Personally, when I’m teaching online, or at least trying to, there is that “third wall,” that screen which separates true human contact. Especially when students won’t turn on their camera for some reason. Things like computer glitches, which are often the case in remote learning, interrupt the immediacy of time. And frankly, it’s quite exhausting to be looking at a screen all day!
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss being with the students in the classroom, laughing and having fun with them. I enjoy observing the expressions on student’s faces when we’re having a class discussion and suddenly something clicks for them and they’re having their “light-bulb moment.” However, now that we’re online, I’m not able to see this because there is always a delay on the screen. Overall, the human interaction with students, that one-on-one, in-the-moment interaction, is missing, including laughing, smiling, and learning along with everyone in real time.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
First of all, technology has been one of the biggest challenges. I haven’t been trained enough in it, and personally, it’s not as intuitive. Technology may glitch at any moment, and in those scenarios, we have absolutely no control over that. Another challenge I have faced is personally helping students. I always try my best to help students who have something going on in their lives, or if they just want to talk to me for some support. It’s much easier for students to come and talk to me in-person, but it takes more effort to call up a teacher online because it shows vulnerability. It’s easier for students to hide behind a screen. However, communication and interaction with the world is an essential part of a student’s education, and unfortunately, with everything online, they’re not getting that same experience.
How have you overcome those challenges?
I’ve attempted to learn as much as I can, and I continue to learn about technology every day. I try to learn more about the best practices of teaching online that makes the overall setup of the classroom more natural. I’m participating in lots of trainings to help me get more familiar with technology, but most importantly, I ask lots and lots of questions. I’m never afraid to ask them. Whenever I don’t understand something, I always ask another staff member, or even my own students! I also learned to realize that whenever I’m struggling with something, there are other people who have more challenging and significant struggles. This realization has taught me humility and patience.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
I definitely am not going to incorporate icons behind student’s faces! But I will incorporate some of the interesting ways in which students are able to participate online, such as a program called Padlet, and many other programs that I’m still exploring. In online learning, it’s very important to make sure that students understand the content and instructions, so I often go out of my way to make sure that everything is understandable. I will continue this practice when we go back in the classroom to make sure that students understand the objectives and the tasks assigned. Also, through online learning,s we all have to learn to be more organized, and when we meet in-person again, I will continue to be very organized.
How do you feel remote learning has affected the relationship between students and teachers?
In one sense, remote learning has forced upon the student and the teacher more responsibility to reach out to the other person, because the only way to communicate is online. Due to the fact that we see each other much less, it is more significant to make sure that communication is happening. Remote learning has been challenging in terms of motivation being kept up for students and teachers. If there is any sort of problem or glitch, it’s very difficult for you to stop what you’re doing and fix what’s going on. Also, through remote learning, students lack socialization with their friends in school, such as through clubs, lunch, and seeing teachers. Students aren’t able to see teachers interact with one another and the conversations with their peers and teachers online aren’t as organic or natural as in-person. There is a sense of loneliness online, and even though there is some communication occurring, there is still that “third-wall.” It’s almost like watching TV.
MS. ROSENBERG
( PACIFIC SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM )
INTERVIEWED BY EMILY TOMMASINI
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
Well, I don’t think that anything is regular anymore. Even when we go back in person (by the way, I am back to in-person for two days a week), it’s still really different than what we used to experience. We should continue to do what’s safest for students.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching with everyone?
Something I really miss is seeing all the people you see every day that aren’t in your classrooms: students, staff members, the people you would wave to who you don’t necessarily know.
What are some challenges you’ve encountered?
Being in front of a screen all day long is really hard for both students and adults. A lot of the students I work with need to have a parent or sibling there for support, which can be hard for families.
What are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when we’re back in the classroom?
Just having more lessons accessible virtually. I really like Microsoft Teams as a platform.
What does a typical day look like online for your class?
Because we are together for five periods, we do different things for every lesson. During first period and fifth period, we do our morning meeting, news, weather, calendar, and movement breaks. During second and sixth period, we do a social lesson. We might explore a job in the community and learn about disability history. Students also have one-on-one time with para-educators. We focus on individual learning goals.
How has the idea of progress changed for the students in your class since switching to online learning in March? Do things such as IEP (Individual Education Program) goals remain intact?
We’ve had to rethink how students can work with IEP goals, since so much of that has to do with being in person. We’ve sent home physical materials, and we do expect students to still make progress on goals, though it may look different than in-person.
What is some advice you could give to other special education teachers (or any teacher) at your school or in the district when it comes to teaching virtually?
Build movement breaks into the lesson—they are helpful for the students as well as the teachers to try to connect to students emotionally.
MS. MATHEWSON
( ECONOMICS / BUSINESS MANAGEMENT / ENTREPRENEURSHIP )
INTERVIEWED BY ANNIKA CHOI
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
I think most teachers agree that in-person teaching is more beneficial because there is better interaction. Students are able to divide more quickly into groups. Similarly, there is a lot more structure to the class, which is very necessary. I post assignments and reminders, which I think makes it easier for students, because they like structure, and they probably need more structure in remote learning.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I think what I miss the most is people’s personalities, the interaction, the smiles, the things that you cannot see in online learning. I miss interacting with students face-to-face. For example, in the classroom, it’s easier to understand students based on patterns.
What are some challenges you’ve encountered?
Technological issues are the most challenging, especially when internet connections are interrupted. As users, jumping around on different sites is difficult. The challenge is not being able to switch assignments or tabs easily and uploading the wrong things. We spend 20% of our time figuring out technology and getting around, as well as constantly opening and closing applications. Teaching students twice a week makes things even more difficult. Ultimately, I think that not being able to do the activities we do is classrooms is the biggest loss.
What are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when we’re back in the classroom?
What I could most incorporate into the classroom is Teams, where I can easily see your assignments and easily give feedback. One thing I liked is making chat phone calls with students so that there are no interruptions.
What are your thoughts on the hybrid idea?
I’m certainly able to embrace the hybrid model, as it’s important for students and teachers to get back into the classrooms and rebuild things. There are complications, such as how things would work with a six-foot radius. If we had 35 students in a class with distancing in place, how would we rotate in groups of three? Another concern in some of our classes right now regards being in a situation where we can do it well; there is uncertainty about a class that’s a mixture of hybrid and full-time remote students.
What is one piece of advice that you would give who are struggling with online learning?
I think I have been finding that students are more timid about asking teachers questions through the chat, especially since there isn’t the interaction in class with teachers. If you’re not comfortable asking questions there, you should reach out to your teacher via email and let them know.
MRS. RAMOS
( LANGUAGE & LITERATURE )
INTERVIEWED BY PETER LEE
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
I feel like regular and virtual learning are very difficult, especially in terms of connecting with kids. It is a lot harder to do this, especially since we are socially distanced and often rely on technology to communicate. I personally like in-person interaction better because even though we did great to create a community, I cannot feel the atmosphere: I can’t see people’s faces and expressions nor can I see if students are engaging with the content. Sometimes I say “hi” or “good morning class,” but I do not feel a genuine response, or I sometimes don’t even get a response at all.
Another thing is that we are all in the same space in school. But in virtual learning, we are in our own homes, and I do not know what is going around in there. There can be more distractions and less attention, but as a teacher teaching online, I do not have as much control over that.
Since we are a literature class, we read and present a lot, but with the lack of interaction, it feels lonelier and staler compared to regular school. However, I just hope that students are actually interested in what I teach and are engaged, as that makes me happy!
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss seeing people’s faces. In-person teaching felt very comfortable, and I felt like I could get to know the person better. I could see how they felt and how they were as a person. Online, cameras are never turned on, and it does not feel the same. Getting to know people in physical classrooms was one of my favorite aspects, especially as an English teacher. I had a lot of cool projects planned out for the year, but it’s pretty sad that they won’t be as fun.
What are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when we’re back in the classroom?
I would like to use Teams for posting assignments and other kinds of information that can help students learn, especially when they are feeling uncomfortable. It’s a huge bummer that there is no physical interaction in online learning, but I learned how to use technology way more and distribute assignments and classwork to students that way. I think that the usage of Teams can be pretty useful for students during school and even outside of school when they can’t see me. Also, other extra training platforms such as Nearpod and Turnitin.com can be used when I get back in the classroom, and I would just love to incorporate more technology in the classroom to make things more efficient.
Do you think virtual learning impacts our social skills and what can be done to preserve it?
Virtual learning definitely has an impact. Online learning has been pretty lenient when it comes to interaction. We are not forced to be in a situation around people. We can get out of touch socially, and I think this can be because of us solely relying on technology and not engaging as much in class activities. It is also easier to get away with not fully participating and slacking off, and this can prompt less motivation from the students. I think to solve this, we should just preserve our integrity and try to find different ways for students to be motivated, maybe with fun activities or by sharing some commonalities or interests. It will be pretty difficult to make classes engaging online, but this is one way to make sure students have more responsibility and accountability. Overall, I am glad that we can have school even like this. We are pretty blessed to be able to do so. In the future, hopefully we can come back to school and also have additional usage of technology!
DR. KATSMAN
( ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR )
INTERVIEWED BY ANANYA CHAVALI
Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra is an organization based in Bellevue that allows youth aged six to twenty-one the opportunity to learn and play music in an ensemble. BYSO strives to create a positive music environment for students. Barney Blough, a BYSO conductor and fellow Bellevue School District teacher at Newport, says that he is “conducting a full online orchestra” this year in a class of seventy students. He adds that “many of the groups are doing small ensembles. For us in orchestra, it’s really hard. It’s so difficult. Because of the technology limitations, it’s really hard for us to rehearse together in a large ensemble.” What is something you miss about in-person learning? What is a challenge you’ve encountered during online learning?
I miss seeing all of you. Not everybody turns on their cameras, so it makes it hard to connect with students. In class, you can’t really hide from me unless you cover your face. In-person is so much more enjoyable in the sense that we can all work together. Also, you can see how someone’s feeling, if they’re having a “down” kind of day, or if they’re excited about something.
The biggest challenge for me is not knowing if someone is really there because the cameras are off. Not being able to make those connections like you normally would with a quick smile or being unable to see if they don’t know something, and being unable to say, “Hey, let’s meet after class.” It’s not as easy to see when a student needs me.
Currently, some our students are experiencing the same challenges as our teachers during online learning. Sinfonia student Raashi Ramanan, who is a sophomore, says that what she misses most about in-person learning is sectionals “because you can do a lot of fine tuning on specific parts that your section needs work on. Virtually, our sectionals are less interactive. You don’t talk to each other much, as you mostly practice individually.” What are some things you’ve adopted for online learning that you’d like to incorporate when we’re back in the classroom?
This year, since all off the levels are combined, it’s really nice that older students are able to help the younger students. Usually, our freshmen are all together in one class, and this year, the freshman are getting to meet the sophomores, the juniors, and the seniors. It’s kind of helping to have more skilled students guide them and lead the way, even though they don’t need to know how to get to a classroom because we’re not physically in the building. It’s really making those connections right away for those students and I think it’s helping them feel more welcome in the Interlake community. It would be great to if there was a way for us to somehow incorporate that in the future—some way that we have the older students meeting up with the freshmen.
MR. KHERIATY
( FRENCH )
INTERVIEWED BY SIA RAZDAN
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
Physical school is obviously more beneficial for students than online school. But I am very grateful that we are still able to still connect with students and teach you this year. I think it would be terrible if we couldn't. It's interesting to learn new methods of teaching but I don't like the idea of all of us spending so much time in front of a screen. We have less instructional time with you guys but I’m glad students are still motivated and eager to learn because that makes the job easier and motivates us.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss seeing my students and colleagues in person. Initially, students were apprehensive about interacting in class, understandably, but it makes me miss the environment we had built at school.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
It's difficult since I’m teaching students from 6 different schools. And the schedule we had last spring was difficult to follow. For French specifically, in a class, a great deal of communication is non-verbal, so it makes teaching another language just a little more difficult.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
Teaching remotely has forced me to learn a lot of tech and how to operate many different platforms in a very short time. I'm certain I'll continue using much of it when we return to the classroom.
What is one thing you would change about remote learning as a whole?
These lessons are live video, right? And recorded? BSD should supply teachers with a hair and make-up crew.
What are your thoughts on asynchronous time?
Asynchronous time is a good opportunity for students to work at their own pace and deepen their learning, or to get extra help from classmates or teachers. Along with the freedom that asynchronous time gives us, it also requires some responsibility and self-discipline so we each must make sure to use the time productively.
MR. BECKER
( WORLD HISTORY, THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE, PSYCHOLOGY )
INTERVIEWED BY BECKETT BROOKS
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
There are both positives and negatives to virtual learning. On the bright side, there’s more time to look at student work, which is really ironic because ordinarily you get to know students through the students themselves instead of their work.
As for students, especially the IB and AL students, there is a lot less work for them to do. I think that lowering the amount of school we’re doing is healthier for kids. Take Theory of Knowledge, for example. It’s a class about reflecting and thinking, and your students can’t do that when there’s too much work to do.
On the other hand, it’s much harder to tell when students need help or don’t understand. It’s also harder to communicate with students because there are so many different methods of communication; if we were in person and I needed to tell a class something, I’d just make a note to myself to write it on the board or tell them in class the next day. But with online, I don’t know whether to use email or Teams, and students will have questions as well. I get a lot of energy out of being in the classroom. Every other element of school is still really the same.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss the sense of the class. Mostly, though, I miss seeing my students—old students especially. Informal things like seeing my students, old and new, in the halls, and conversations in the staff lounge and in the hallways are missing. Communication in general is much harder.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
It’s so difficult to replicate the experience of the classroom. There’s so much autonomy on the part of the student, I really have no idea. I can see their work, but I can’t watch over all the groups at once and see which ones are discussing and which ones need help. It’s also really difficult to call everyone back into the main meeting.
There’s also no personal connections or interactions with students. Not only are we online and I can’t see my students, but we also only have 40% of the time we used to have.
However, challenges provide opportunities. We have limited time, so I’ve really narrowed down the content to what’s important and what isn’t. That said, it’s a struggle to keep going and find motivation throughout the day, especially during asynchronous learning time.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
Nearpod is a good resource. It’s nice to have the opportunity to stop and get thoughts down and have that for students and teachers to look at after. Another thing is making sure students are engaged. That’s something I have to build into class when we’re online, because I can’t see if students are paying attention. I don’t do that as much in person.
Have online resources like AP Classroom improved at all since most districts went virtual?
I think AP Classroom has really stepped it up. The issue isn’t a lack of resources, at least for our district. More and more online resources appear each day. It’s more challenging to learn the new technology than it is to find it. The choke point is that teachers need to learn how, and they need someone to help them.
The problem with online resources is what value am I adding, besides finding the video and giving students questions?
Do you prefer online or in-person teaching?
The only thing I miss about in person teaching is seeing students and colleagues. Driving to school is a hassle—life is a lot easier. I wouldn’t choose to be an online teacher for a career. For a lot of teachers, all the work, everything that goes into this that makes it fun is the human interaction, and you hear and realize that you’ve made someone’s day better, or someone enjoyed your class. The payoff is hearing students talk about how much they like it—you can’t create the relationships in this environment. Most teachers are humanists, they want to be with people. It's a different job online: a lot of work with no or less payoff.
Do you wish your students would interact more via cameras and mics instead of just the chat?
Yes. For example, this is a different conversation with both our cameras on. I know you a little bit, but I can’t picture you. It's flat without the cameras and mics. I miss the discussion. If students won’t talk and unmute, then they’re not part of that.
MRS. BEATTIE
( PHYSICAL EDUCATION )
INTERVIEWED BY ANANYA CHAVALI
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning? How do they compare?
They are completely different. Especially when we’re talking PE, but more so on the relationship side. The easy way to see any behavior issues, to check in and just get a general vibe for how kids are feeling [or] how their outside life may be going—the easiest way for me to say it is: you can actually feel the energy in the room when you’re with people. When you’re on a screen, you lose that completely and it’s pretty challenging to really understand how you’re all doing and what’s going on in your world. Even just the eye contact of “do I get this or do I not get this?” or “do I need a couple more minutes or do I not need a couple more minutes?” are personal connections, which have been the absolute biggest loss for me, personally, so hopefully we can get back in there second semester.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss the energy from you. So if I’m having a sleepy day or if I just have other stuff going on in my adult life or if a class doesn’t go quite the way I want, say first period doesn’t go well, I try to reset for my next class and a lot of times I get that energy from the students. That is absolutely one reason why I coach, one reason why I teach. Your energy for life and creating feeds my soul. So, talking to a dot into a screen takes a lot of energy that we have to come up with every single day instead of really fueling and feeding off of one another. I miss that a lot.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
The students not wanting to turn their cameras on. I understand that with PE it’s different because you’re actively engaging in a small space and it feels very much like you’re under the spotlight. I tried to explain to my kids who were doing a Flipgrid yesterday that everybody in the gym would see it anyway, everybody in the studio would see it anyway if we were in-person. It really is the fact that it’s a camera. Otherwise, we’d all be in the same building, the same room, on the field. That’s one of the biggest challenges, especially for PE, because there’s a lot of trust that things are getting done. I might just be doing a yoga routine by myself or a PE “HITT” workout by myself and crossing my fingers that there are some people joining in with me. It’s better than doing nothing, so I hope that it’s beneficial. No faces is definitely a big challenge.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
I think continuing with Teams in general would be really helpful. Everybody’s calendar is in the same place and messages with teachers are in the same place, so they don’t get lost in email. We’re able to post reminders and links and all of that, so it’s kind of like each teacher has their own teacher website, but it’s all housed in one place. I think that would be really helpful.
Say you were a student during this time of virtual school; which student would you be? The one who snacks? The one who sleeps during class? The one who gets distracted easily?
I would be all of them, except for the sleeping one. As a teacher, I eat all the time. If we were in person, you’d see me eating as I’m showing up to class, eating in the hallway. I’m always snacking. That would absolutely be me. I also get easily distracted. I think everybody gets easily distracted right now because there’s so much else going on besides this little camera right here. I would definitely be distracted. I would try to turn my camera on, but even as teachers, during faculty meetings, it’s uncomfortable. I totally can understand where you guys are coming from. So, I would try, and it definitely depends on the teacher when it comes to whether I want to turn it on or not.
MR. VILLAGOMEZ
( LANGUAGE & LITERATURE )
INTERVIEWED BY ANDREW LEE
Could you share your thoughts on regular learning versus virtual learning?
In terms of the amount of time that I get to see students, it has dropped dramatically. We have to re-examine our units and cut out a lot of things that just wouldn’t work or don’t really adapt well to remote learning, so that’s one big aspect in that things move a lot slower. For me, I’m more about the personal interactions. For example, when I greet students at the door, I can get a sense of who is not feeling the best, and that has been feeling odd for me because of remote learning. I feel like the interactions are very mixed with classes, especially with freshmen who are very reticent about turning their cameras on or even speaking through their mics, versus advanced learning students, who are a little more amendable to having their cameras on. I think interacting with one another is very odd in this way, as there is not really a place to socialize for students before class or during breaks. Remote learning places greater focus on the teacher rather than the social interaction, but social interaction is really important.
What is one thing you miss about in-person teaching?
I miss the one-on-one interactions and seeing students in the hall and saying “hi” and asking how their day was. It’s a lot easier for students to slip through the cracks because all I can see in the call is their avatar. It's really hard for me to keep track of who hasn’t spoken and who's not really participating because there are so many other things that I need to keep track of. If we were in class, I could get a sense of like who has their head down, who is not turning in work, or who is not working well in their groups. Also, I sometimes see normally jovial students with tears in their eyes or being quiet on some days. In an in-person class, I can get a sense of like “oh I should go talk to them” or that I should give them their space, whereas I don’t know that with remote learning.
What are some challenges you've encountered?
There are so many . . . .
I would say that the biggest one for the freshmen is getting them to interact with the material and finding ways to make it meaningful for them. I think it's a little easier for upperclassmen because they have a rapport—they know everyone in their classes pretty much, whereas these freshmen are coming from different middle schools. I’m trying to give them the space to meet other people and be more social with one another, but it is very tough. Especially in the first few weeks, many students are silent. There aren’t many students who start the conversation or break the ice, so that is probably the toughest part of teaching freshmen and navigating this.
What are some things you've adopted for online learning that you'd like to incorporate when we're back in the classroom?
That’s a good question! There are so many different sites that I’ve been using that I never even knew existed, such as Nearpod. I have already used things like Quizlet a lot, but there are so many other things that I now use to keep track of learning and participation. Maybe the first month we come back, I’d want the laptops to just be put away and stay away from them a little bit, and then I would like to go back to using those apps that I have grown fond of.