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What Students Have to Say
October 22, 2020
Hear what students have to say about engagement during online school, what teachers’ camera policies should be, and how online school has affected them socially.
Grant DeRose ‘21
How has being online affected student engagement during class?
“I think [being online] makes the school day a lot harder to get through because I don’t have much stimulation throughout my day. In every class, I unmute myself maybe every 30 minutes to answer a question, but other than that I don’t get to talk to anybody. It gets very lonely.”
Riley Lanziner ‘23
How has being online affected student engagement during class?
“I think [online calls] have decreased the amount of engagement in classrooms. It has become a lot harder to ask questions and interact with a teacher. Plus, very few people [who are] online answer questions from teachers.”
Should teachers be allowed to require cameras to be turned on during Zoom/Google Meets calls?
“No, [teachers should not be allowed to require cameras on] mostly for the privacy of students and because many students might not like to show their faces, or it makes them uncomfortable. I understand having the cameras on for testing though.”
How has being online affected you socially?
“[Being online] has somewhat affected how social I am because I usually hang out with friends and get to know people at school since I am so busy outside of school, and now online has made that harder to do.”
Justin Edell ‘22
How has being online affected student engagement during class?
“Levels of engagement are way lower during online days. There’s no question that just giving students work to do during their ‘off day’ and not having them log into a disconnected environment like a Google Meet would be more effective.
Should teachers be allowed to require cameras to be turned on during Zoom/Google Meets calls?
“Teachers should not be allowed to ask their students to turn their cameras on. It is a huge invasion of privacy for those who don’t feel comfortable. I personally am fine with turning my camera on but I know there are some who aren’t and shouldn’t be punished for not doing so.”
How has being online affected you socially?
“I think it has been good for everyone to at least see half of the familiar faces at school. Online learning can get very boring, but I haven’t seen any impact on people socially.”