We can say that this year has been filled with a great deal of surprises and plenty of bad timing. But for some students, we just can’t seem to catch a break. Schools in the U.S. had to shut down and change their teaching patterns back in March to protect everyone’s health and safety from COVID-19. In the San Diego Community College District, this brought havoc for students and teachers trying to navigate around using Canvas and other online scholarly tools, struggling to keep their classes organized. It was hard for students to adjust to not physically going on campus and sitting in classrooms, listening to our teachers go on and trying our best to not be distracted by social media. Little did we know that what we thought was going to be a couple of months online, seems to look like it will be a whole school year and a half.
According to a message announced on August 26, by the San Diego’s Community College District Chancellor, Dr. Constance M. Carroll, although a final decision has not yet been made or announced publicly, it looks to be that the majority of classes for spring 2021 will be held online with the exception of laboratory classes on campus. She also adds that there may be a limited amount of student support services available on campus but no further information has been released.
Now for certain students, this may not be as big of an adjustment and it may not play a big role in their ways of learning or life. Learning online, whether it’s independently or paced, can be easier on some students; I know it is for me. I am able to learn from the comfort of my own bedroom and I can do my work when the time is right for me. There are also students who don’t feel the urge to go back on campus or potentially expose themselves and get sick. Although there are tons of precautions and new safety procedures required to go through, there’s always a possibility. Understandably, why not keep classes online for another semester and keep the chances of COVID-19 cases from increasing?
There are students not only at Mesa, but at many other colleges and universities who might have more of a difficult time adjusting to remaining online for another semester and not return on campus. I transferred to Mesa from another community college so I only have the 2020-2021 school year to experience and create new opportunities for myself. And it seems to look like I won’t be experiencing any of it on campus. I’m sure there are tons of other students who may relate to this or may experience fear of missing out (FOMO). I’ve noticed on social media, such as Youtube and Instagram, that college students who go to any school are still moving to live closer to campus although it may still be held online. Part of this may be because they are experiencing FOMO, but part of it could also be in hope that spring 2021 classes will open up on campus. The most unfortunate circumstance that comes from remaining online is that students don’t have the opportunity for socialization. Yes, Zoom gives you access to make video calls and talk through a screen, but what about human to human interactions. Isn’t that part of what shapes us into becoming who we are?
It’s understandable that it can seem uncertain not knowing what the next three months look like, especially if you are a person who likes to plan like me. COVID-19 hit us like a hurricane and we’ve been trying to rebuild since. However, we can keep in mind that hopefully by spring, teachers will fully understand how to teach online effectively and navigate better so our semester goes smoothly.
