“Back in America, Tom and all his classmates had used calculators. In his Polish math class, calculators were not allowed. Tom could tell the kids were doing a lot of math in their minds. They had learned tricks that had become automatic, so their brains were freed up to do the harder work.” After speaking with three students who went to school in three different countries, Amanda Ripley shares her findings in her book The Smartest Kids in the World and how they learn is vastly different from the way we do in the United States. Students around the country don’t have access to the kind of technology that we gave, and yet, they become one of the smartest kids and the best test takers. Does the technology that we are using actually take a major toll on how we learn? And why are things that seemed so easy like long division such a challenge to us now? What is it with these screens that’s making school such a drag? 

    I have noticed a change. Over the past year of doing school online, just now resurfacing back into the classroom, I’ve had the sense that our learning is deteriorating, making me slow, forcing my brain to try and pay attention. I haven’t tanked just yet--laying in bed all day--but I’ve seen the signs with my friends and my sibling. Writing down math equations and speaking out loud in class used to be easy. I would get caught up in the learning and want to put as much information as I could into it. Doing sports after school, then doing homework while you have your dinner was the normal routine. But ever since Covid hit, I feel stuck, wishing for it to end. Yes, I still turn in my work on time, but I find myself procrastinating, waiting until I absolutely have to do my assignments. School was mainly virtual, spending 7 hours a day on a computer was not good for anybody. Even changing the curriculum hasn’t changed the fact that we are all turning into slugs. Distracted by the things at our fingertips, not being truly involved in our learning. The complicated problems and the long reading used to be fun and engaging, but now it has become the hardest part of my day. 

    I think I know what’s going on. We all thought that we would be great at online learning since we are the technological generation after all. But it has created school into a lackluster experience. We did want to be home and stay safe, for our families and others. And Remote Learning crossed off all those boxes. The amount of papers we used in school and all of the time spent watching your teacher write on the chalkboard was diminished. We could not all do our work online, with one application for your work, and one application for hearing your lessons. We were given more time for our assignments, and that allowed for more effort in our work. Even if I wasn’t in class, the work carried with me. I was thinking differently, watching videos, and learning how to do school from home. (Unlike being in the building, where you bustle from class to class every 50 minutes, our learning was only a few clicks away, and everything was mapped out for us.)

    For me, as for others, remote-learning became the norm, something we all achieved in times of crisis. Every student was able to wake up later, thus our brains were able to focus more in our 1st period. And Students were able to work at their own pace, which helped all of our stress levels. Many teachers have noticed a change in their students. In an article titled “Why Are Some Kids Thriving During Remote Learning” by Nora Fleming, she spoke to a teacher in Washington D.C., Montenique Woodard who says “”I think not having those everyday distractions in school has really allowed for kids like him to focus on the work and not necessarily all the social things going on because some kids can’t separate that out.” But this surge in education comes at a price. Yes, this is a pandemic, and we have to keep eachother safe if we want a normal learning environment again, but the added stress to remote learning and the lack of social opportunities for students is hurting their education and learning ability. According to Alice Fox, an author for eLearning Industry stated the cons of distance learning. She says a major con in this system is the strong motivation students must have to complete their academics. She says that “Almost all training material is mastered by the students themselves. This requires developed willpower, responsibility, and self-control.” It’s just just being on the computer all day that’s making us feel down and depressed during the day, but how unmotivating it is trying to get your work done with all of the distractions at home. I’ve spoken to many of my friends and even teachers, and it is a common phrase that “school is just about passing now, not about learning.” Our minds now expect us to fail, because that’s how hard it is to do remote learning. And things may never go back to normal.  Once I was a wolf, hunting for learning. Now I feel like the prey, trying and hoping to survive the year.