With tired fingers, tired eyes, and a tired mind, I continue to persevere through the crippling reality that is online school. Now, the littlest things seem to get on my nerves even down to the tiniest detail of dropping a pencil. With nowhere to go, no way to see my friends, and no way to leave my room, I slowly worry that I am going crazy.
Morning after morning, students and teachers just like me wake up to face the harsh truth that is another day of online learning. Not only does the monotony of online learning make getting up more difficult, but it also diminishes morale throughout the day. Online learning accounts for roughly five hours a day of straight screen time with lunch being the only break. 
With the addition of homework and extracurriculars, finding time for myself can become a challenge. To ease this process, teachers should balance the mental health of their students and with the material they feel the need to get through
In the United States, depression cases for all age demographics have tripled due to the ongoing stay at home orders, according to the American Medical Association. Nonetheless, the group that has been most affected are high school students. There are no more high fives, fist bumps, or inside jokes that used to spread the halls. Instead, those have been replaced with empty words and eyes staring at a screen. Computer teacher Flint Christensen also agrees with the importance of an emotional outlet.
“I’m so mindful of the toll that [online learning] takes emotionally and mentally on students,” Christensen said.
Students have also expressed resentment at the tedious routine of online learning. Students I have talked to agree that learning over a computer is especially hard right now because a students’ entire life is online. There is no way to make plans, no room talk about what is going on in our lives, or even tell those stupid jokes that get very few people to laugh.
Before COVID-19, school was a place where all students could come together and converse, allowing students and teachers to interact with one another, walk around, and get a change in setting. Now, students sit in their room glaring at a computer screen.
“[Online learning] is an outstanding supplement to in-person school, but it is a terrible replacement,” Christensen said.
Students, like me, who used to go to class, make new friends, mingle, and more importantly, just get out of the house, are now missing their primary source of socializing. In order to prevent this from happening, teachers should take a moment to recognize how much we need them beyond the content they teach.
To give students a better chance to interact and share out, teachers should give five to ten minutes in the beginning of their class to talk to their students and have them share how they are doing. This idea of the first five and last five will allow students to feel social and connected in and out of class. Although it may seem small, the accommodation for socializing in the beginning of class could be the mental health support that students need.
I think that talking with teachers and friends before and after class would make such a large difference. This would allow students to rebuild some of those social bridges they once had.
This new plan for dealing with mental health issues could be a step in the right direction. Without this or something similar, students would have no outlet to converse. I believe that this could be the boost that students need to normalize online learning.
However, this does not come without challenges. The Monday schedule, providing only 30 minutes per class, gives very little time to get anything done.
“Mondays are horrible,” math teacher Thomas Palsa said. “Half an hour is not enough time to do anything. You end up starting class and then finishing it immediately.”
I know that it would be nearly impossible to squeeze in minutes to try and provide time for students. So, I think that teachers should stick to teaching material on Mondays. However, I think that the other two block classes should start with the first five and end with the last five.
Class time isn’t the only place for social interaction, however. The Wellness Center now encourages drop in meetings during lunch. There is a simple sign up form that students can fill out to organize a meeting. This is so crucial to students because it is a chance to talk about how difficult online learning can be and it will provide an outlet for students.
The largest importance behind creating an environment where students can interact is that this will carry them through their online school year. If teachers disagree with giving up class time for conversing, then maybe they can try assigning more group projects. This will allow students to collaborate with one another, talk, and simulate the connections they used to receive on a day to day basis. The power to make change lies in the teachers hands and if change is made it will better everyone’s learning experience.
Whether it’s faculty or administrators, the overall goal should be to make sure PHS is a safe and enjoyable environment even if that is online. But I should also be a part of this change, too. Now more than ever, it is extremely important to reach out to your friends and peers to connect. It could be facetiming during passing periods, having a text chat going all day, or simply trying to make one another laugh over zoom. Connectivity is so momentous during these trying times. Also, it’s never unhealthy to make your friends laugh.
According to the American Psychological Association, students who have a better connection with other students and teachers achieve higher grades in class. Teachers especially during online learning are important to create bonds with.
If teachers provide this necessary time for students, the entire class will prosper. More importantly, however, students need this time to stabilize their mental health during such incredible chaos. With fires raging, a dreadful pandemic, and no in-person school, students need an outlet. We as a school need to recognize these problems hiding behind the screen and we need to do it now in order to create the change PHS desperately needs.
