HELPING HAND
Needing aid with academics, students are turning to each other
For some students struggling with their academics in a world of virtual learning, finding a way out was as simple as playing a video game.
At least that was the Marta Anderson’s idea.
Anderson, the e-sports coach at Del Norte High School who also teaches math, as well as AVID and college-prep students there, set up a virtual homework lab for students throughout the state on discord.com, a voice, video and text communication service used by more than 100 million people to hang out and talk with their friends and communities. In particular, it has been adopted by the gaming community for use in discussing various aspects of video games.
“The students will reach out to each other,” she said. Recently, “there were some big projects due in their Algebra II classes. The upperclassmen were helping out some of the freshmen and sophomores get their work done. They were posting videos, talking with each other and helping each other be more successful.”
As the monitor of the channel, Anderson said she is able to track what is going on.
“I have to monitor all that chat and when I see what they’re doing, if it’s not quite right, I’ll pop into meetings and help,” she said. “And it was kind of fun.”
As a New Mexico Activities Association-sanctioned pursuit, the gamers must maintain grades of at least 2.0 and cannot be failing any classes. So that means trying to get help from somewhere.
I’m very proud of my kids this year,” Anderson said. “It’s been a struggle to do things. We’ve been trying hard to incorporate all of our kids and make sure they’re doing something with forward momentum.”
‘Now I’m succeeding’
Del Norte sophomore Aiden Lindeman, who is on the Rocket League team at Del Norte, said he’s not sure what he would have done without the discord channel.
“The NMAA required that we have to be passing all of our classes but with how big the e-sports community is, a lot of people help each other with homework and each other’s school assignments.”
In particular, Lindeman was struggling with a college algebra, CNM dual-credit class he was taking.
“I messaged my professor who’s helping with CNM dual credits, but I also got help from a bunch of other people,” he said. “I feel more comfortable with them because I play with them and I talk with them. My coach and a bunch of other people on here have been helping with that program.”
It wasn’t easy, but his grade turned around.
“I have to thank my coach and other students for helping,” Lindeman said. “I used to be failing and now I’m succeeding.”
It also helped him in other academic areas.
“APS has created an e-sports server where I can contact every other student,” he said. “La Cueva or Cibola. I’ve made a few friends on there and they’ve helped me with graphic design and English and stuff like that.”
Dip in calls
One of the interesting aspects of the COVID shutdown is the Albuquerque
Teachers Federation’s wellrespected and frequently used Dial-A-Teacher program, which has been in operation since 1991, saw a significant dip in usage for the current school year, said Ellen Bernstein, ATF president.
She did not have specific numbers. But in the past, students would be inundated with information about the program with its phone number prominent so that students and parents would have ready access to it.
“We publish and distribute classroom flyers and phone stickers,” Bernstein said. “And we didn’t do that because we didn’t have access to people in school. I think it’s an issue of reminding people, ‘This is here for you.’”
The program can have quite an impact on the students and should have been utilized more, she said, especially since there have been so many complaints of students being unable to cope with the virtual learning system.
“I think it’s essential to have help when you’re struggling,” Bernstein said. “Regardless of what you’re struggling with.”
The teachers doing the program struggled themselves, she said.
“Before COVID, three or four teachers every evening sat here in the union office in a room with phones and talked to kids and parents,” Bernstein said. “In March of last year, we stopped doing the teachers all in one room. They take the calls at home and calls have really dropped. They used to put posters in every classroom through the whole district. I think it’s hard it keep it in front of people, reminding them that the free service exists. We’d love more calls.”
That could also mean that the students simply are not needing the help, she said.
“Do they need more help, or is this a time that learning is so different that they actually need less homework,” Bernstein asked. “Or are the kids just forgetting that help is available?”