Who would have ever thought of this becoming our reality? Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, schools around the nation have decided to partake in the use of E-learning. The idea of taking schools online is meant to lower the chance of an increase of the Corona novel virus.  This has created a whole new learning experience for students in the United States. Some find it stressful, and others find it quite enjoyable. 

A teacher’s main job is to be able to provide a great learning experience for students to learn; so what do they believe about online learning? I was able to interview Mr. Calderon, a teacher at Anaheim High School, about his teaching experience with this new normal.

“It has definitely been a tough start to the school year. All the technological difficulties mixed in with the stress of providing quality education to my students has been part of the overwhelming experience that the start of the year has brought, ” he says. Throughout the school year, the main problem in classes has been technological issues. Aside from the technology issues, Mr. Calderon also sees inequities within the new teaching platform.“Many students have struggled with being home all the time and not having the space to get their work done. Also, the digital divide that has been put at the forefront of all this has taught me the importance of getting to know my students’ story and struggles because it has been having a huge impact on their ability to stay on top of all their work in school, ” he says. Some students do not have the resources to attend online schools, such as a laptop or a stable internet connection. He mentions that these inequities have been highlighted due to online teaching.

Many teachers also believe that attending school physically provides a better learning experience than an online school. Being taught through a computer removes the original learning experience in a classroom. Many factors are missing when students are being taught online.  Mr. Calderon says, “I personally prefer in-person teaching. Mostly because I enjoy building a community and connections with my students and having that presence in the classroom that online teaching simply does not allow for.”

Mr. Calderon says that he has also noticed a decrease in the work ethic of students more than ever, “Perhaps because of the accessibility and lack of supervision, students are finding it to be easier to Google Translate their work for example. Now, this is not the case with every student, but I have definitely noticed it as we have started this year.”

For students, their main responsibility is to participate and understand that they are responsible for their own success; so how do they feel about online learning? There is a huge difference between attending a physical school and attending school virtually. Many students in our county are using Schoology, while others may be using platforms such as Zoom or Google Meets. 

Joscelyn Osorio, a senior at Anaheim High School, believes attending school in person is better than online schooling, “I believe that attending school in person can create new relationships with other students and even teachers. Having a stable relationship with others can help achieve a better learning experience. This is not possible within an online school, since we are separated and cannot see each other,” she states. 

This new system has also caused some stress for students and teachers. “There has definitely been an increase in stress throughout this whole experience. I think that many of my colleagues would agree that online teaching has brought an increase in the stress as we begin this year,” Mr. Calderon says. 

There are some positives within the new teaching normal.“ I have learned many skills and strategies to navigate the online teaching world and our Learning Management System (LMS) Schoology and the LMS we use at Cambridge Virtual Academy,” says Mr. Calderon.  He also cites teaching online as something that has helped him become more organized. Joscelyn Osorio has also said that online learning has made her become more organized, “I didn’t have a planner before, so it really helped me organize and plan what assignments I had to turn in.” Jacob Lozoya( AHS student) believes that the only positive thing about online school is the schedule, “It helps me get some rest from the amount of stress I have from homework and classwork.”

Orange County has seen a drop in COVID-19 cases. There is a chance that students and teachers will return to class in person, which is probably a good thing.