Consequences of virtual classrooms will linger long after virus

“Bueller? Bueller?” The words run through my mind as the seconds of awkward silence tick on and on after I’ve asked a question. The dated reference would skate over my students’ heads assuming they were listening, so I don’t bother saying it out loud. Ordinarily my class is highly interactive. Students ask questions and chuckle at my professor jokes. They engage. Now it’s “Anyone? Anyone? Class?”

Welcome to online learning. It lacks everything that I love about teaching — engaging with students, seeing their faces light up after an epiphany, hearing them laugh, watching them improve — while increasing the amount of stuff I don’t like — answering emails about missing work, creating PowerPoints, and grading. It’s not that there’s no engagement. The dimly lit images of students looking off- camera provide some assurance that I’m not just talking to myself.

Zoom reminds me of the voice- to- print software I had to use for 12 weeks after bilateral radial tunnel surgery. I spent as much time correcting as writing and at some point during the day the prose would devolve into “Shuck you. No. I said luck you. No, not luck. Pluuuuuuk. Puck. Damp it. To help with it.” Fun times.

At least we haven’t had any Zoom raiders disrupt the class. Then again, maybe it would liven things up. There are always tech issues. One student’s mic sounds like he’s at the Grand Prix. Another student’s dog won’t stop barking. Lap tops die mid- class. Where is the power cord? Who knows? And where are my students?

Last semester when we abruptly went from in- class instruction to online, a third of my students stopped turning in work. This semester started in- class but moved to online after students stopped showing up on the excuse of “Someone who knows my roommate’s cousin’s boyfriend’s mom has COVID and so I can’t come to class.” Independent, self- motivated students are acing the now online class but students who need in- person interaction to succeed have stopped coming.

These are college students. I can only imagine the negative impact on K- 12 students. Sure, highly self- motivated students with parent supervision can learn online. What of students who do not have parental supervision? What of students whose parents provide too much help as in doing their work for them. Is it possible to prevent cheating? Not that I’ve discovered. What about students who need the connections provided by sports, clubs, and hands- on activities to succeed at academics? That’s what keeps some students in school.

It’s not surprising that the lack of personal connection is causing virtual dropouts. Students simply stop making contact, logging in, and turning in work. College students, however, can retake failed classes pretty easily. Failing in K- 12 has worse consequences. Students who really fall behind may have to repeat the year. Nobody wants to be that student. The alternative is to pass students along even though they lack the skills and preparation to succeed the next year.

Several Denver- area school districts have moved to online learning for some or all of their students. The Cherry Creek School District just told students and their families to brace themselves for a switch to online because of rising COVID infection rates.

Why is this necessary? We know that children are less likely to get the virus if exposed, less likely to have severe systems, and less likely to have an asymptomatic infection. While there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of transmission, schools can significantly reduce the possibility through social distancing, hand- washing, ventilation, and mask- wearing.

The minimal risk of contracting a bad case of COVID- 19 should be weighed against the damage done to students’ learning as well as the potential for isolation and depression. At the very least, students and teachers who want to engage in in- person instruction should have that opportunity.

The virus isn’t going away any time soon. The pernicious idea that we can suspend life and learning until a vaccine arrives will have consequences that shall linger even longer.