WEB EXCLUSIVE 

Even though we have made the switch to virtual student learning, teachers are giving more work than ever before. But don’t just take my word for it. I checked my personal Skyward account, and for the first quarter of this school year, four out of seven classes gave out work within the first five days of its’ start. This excludes summer work and the syllabus sheet.

For quarter two, again, four out of seven classes had graded assignments within the first five days. For quarter three, six out of seven classes had a graded assignment within the first five days. However, all of these quarters have met their match with quarter four.

Since online learning started on March 30, we can say that was the first day of quarter four, and on this basis, seven out of seven classes had a graded assignment within the first five days. In my opinion, the reason teachers are doing this is to look as competent as possible, which is understandable, but it should not be at the cost of students.

Teachers have had to adjust their classes for online environments, and school systems have adjusted as well. With students no longer on campus, they need to find other ways to take attendance, count participation and give assignments. One way they can do this is by giving graded assignments online.

Obviously, this is a learning curve for all parties involved. Teachers, students, parents: everyone is struggling to make an unprecedented transition. Perhaps teachers are trying to deliver the same amount of knowledge at the same rate as before to try and stick to their lesson plans. This would make it possible to still finish school on time, or at least as close to it as possible. It’s a great idea in theory, but it makes the transition harder for students who aren’t used to doing all of this work without the hands-on guidance from their teachers.

I suggest a maximum time limit of work per class. Each class can give a total of 25 minutes of work per day. This would make for three hours a day, which is a good amount when struggling to maintain a normal routine at home.

Now, one could make the argument that three hours a day when students aren’t even going to school is too light a workload, and to that I would make two points. Three hours of work will actually take four or five hours for students to complete. It is impossible to be completely focused for three whole hours, especially when students are just sitting on their laptops or computers at home. Either you will have to take a break when your mental capacity has peaked, or you will be day dreaming during half of the work. Either way, three hours of work will actually take up more of your day than just three hours.

Not to mention, there are students who don’t have reliable access to computers or the internet, or are trying to do all of their assignments from their phones. Teachers should recognize there are many challenges that exist outside of the classroom for students, and they should modify their assignments accordingly.

It is also the fourth quarter, our last quarter. During this time period, students and teachers are both getting ready for summer. As each day passes, school collectively winds down until the last couple weeks when there’s virtually no work left to do. That means that there should be less work during this time, if only slightly.

Whichever way you look at it, teachers should not be giving out five assignments a week per class and there shouldn’t be more work than there was previously. Instead, for the benefit of all parties, and to make the transition smoother, the load should be lightened. I know teachers are doing their best, but all we students ask is for flexibility and patience during this time. We’ll get through it together.