Here's How Teens And Teachers Are Prepping For Remote Learning

New York City teaching staff and students in the public school system are preparing to go live on Monday for their first day of “remote learning.”

This week has been the wind-up: teachers busily shifted their materials online and got a crash course in digital conferencing and classroom tools; teenagers mostly tried not to go stir-crazy in their homes and wondered what the future of their school year would look like; and the New York State Department of Education announced elementary- and intermediate-level state tests have officially been suspended this year.

Many teachers flagged concerns about students who don’t have an internet-enabled device or don’t have access to broadband internet at home. The New York City Department of Education is surveying families to find out how many students are in need of a device and which households don’t have internet access at home— you can fill out that survey here.

We heard those concerns, as well as optimism and anxiety, aired out in our voicemail inbox. WNYC/Gothamist asked teachers and teens to leave us a message to tell us how this week went. And we’ll keep prompting you with a new question at the beginning of every week ahead, as we all navigate this uncharted territory.

Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Teens: When Did You First Realize the Coronavirus Was a Big Deal? 

I did not think that the coronavirus was a big deal at all, but then when I saw all of my friends being quarantined, and then my parents made me be self-quarantined. I was like, oh, this is a big deal because no one is allowed to leave the house.

-Sindhu Nagarakanti, high school junior in New Jersey

I just remember waking up [last] Thursday morning and having the air just be completely different. No one was really taking it super super seriously until this past week, and then they shut down schools and I was like, oh shoot. They actually did it. What does that mean for us?

-Ruby Gilmore, sophomore in Hamilton Heights

Teens: How Are Things Different For You This Week Compared to Last Week?

I've definitely been calling people, FaceTiming people, texting people, sending people iMessage games. I've been drawing. I've been practicing an instrument. I mean, I have been trying to fill up the time, but I'm starting to feel now what it means to be home all the time.

-Ruby Gilmore, sophomore in Hamilton Heights

I have found that this system actually works better for me because I am able to get a better night sleep and learn in the comfort of my own home. Everything is just more comfortable and I have been learning the same amount of things at home as I do at school. We are even able to do small group assignments.

-Alek, middle school student in Larchmont, Westchester County

It's my last year in eighth grade and me and my friends are very bummed that there's a possibility that we won't get to see our teachers and our friends this year anymore, and it's just very stressful because we don't know what work we’re going to get done and we just miss our friends and everyone that we see.

-Matilda Seki, eight grade student in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Last week I was a lot more unaware of what was going on around the world. But this week I'm a lot more aware, and it's just very very different. And I'm also very very scared of what the future has to hold. I've never experienced anything like this. And especially being a junior, all these tests like AP tests, SATs, ACTs, they're all being canceled and it's like very stressful. It's a very stressful experience. So, this is a really big deal and I just wasn't expecting that.

-Sindhu Nagarakanti, high school junior in New Jersey

Teachers: What Are Your Biggest Concerns? 

The fact that teachers are still expected to go into school buildings right now [to train for online learning] is a joke. I’m not saying that teachers don’t need this training, but it’s deprofessionalizing and unsafe. I understand that it’s a time of transition, but I think teachers are also feeling that there was no preparation for this, no foresight from the Department of Education. There needs to be a vast reconsideration of what should education in this really critical moment look like.

-A teacher who asked to remain anonymous

My students run an aquaponics lab at our school, and I had to take the whole lab home with me because no one would be there to care for it. I have about 500 earthworms, 100 fish (tropical and tilapia), and 30 plants that I’m trying to keep alive in my living room!

-Mary Beth Schappert, teacher at Babylon Union Free School District on Long Island

Quite a few of our families don’t have access to broadband internet at home. I know one student whose family is currently in a shelter, so they have their school-issued laptop but there’s no wifi access that they can utilize in the shelter right now. 

-Elizabeth Sather, teacher at Hyde Leadership Charter Middle School in the south Bronx

Teachers: What Do You Need to Be Successful With Online Teaching? What Do Your Students Need? 

Our principals were expecting teachers to follow a synchronous teaching model, so we’d have to be on Zoom at 8 o’clock teaching in real time. It took everyone by surprise, and it led to a lot of conflict. They weren’t listening to the fact that it wasn’t going to work, and it’s not fair especially for teachers who have their own kids at home and for students who have to take care of siblings. Finally after days of us pushing back, we made progress and we finally get to make our own schedule that won’t be so rigid. 

-A teacher who asked to remain anonymous

I don’t know, I may have students model some labs using homemade materials using stuff around the house? I honestly don’t know. I know the state is waiving the lab requirements for all the Regents exams so that definitely takes the pressure off. Right now we’re going to start with the basics and see what everyone can handle.

-Mary Beth Schappert, teacher at Babylon Union Free School District on Long Island

I think students need structure but also flexibility. I think they need deadlines, but not daily, because some students have to babysit younger siblings, some have only one computer in their house, and they need to be able to plan accordingly. We cannot replicate the classroom; we must adapt. My students will begin reading 'Notes from Underground' on Monday, a novella about psychological and physical isolation. And they’ll be keeping weekly journals connecting COVID-19, the novella, and their personal experiences. I think this is an incredible teachable moment in my subject area.

-Petria May, tenth grade teacher at Beacon High School in Manhattan

For all the parents out there who have suddenly found themselves in my shoes but without my training, I just want to reiterate that we should all be patient with each other. If you need to put down the math worksheet to step outside and run around, keep that perspective. Some things are more important than doing math worksheets, and that's making sure that everybody at home feels seen and taken care of.

-Ashley, fourth grade teacher in Manhattan

WNYC/Gothamist is planning to keep this up in the weeks ahead, starting each week with a new set of questions for teens and teachers and ending with a round-up of what we’re hearing. Here are the ways you can get in touch: 

• Leave us a voicemail at 646-470-7736.
• Record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected]. (Here’s a handy guide on how to do that.)
• Send us a message via WhatsApp or Signal (encrypted and secure) at 646-965-1864.

Please remember to leave your name, your school, what neighborhood you live in, and how we can get in touch with you. And we may share your response on the air and/or online. Feel free to pass this information along to the teachers and teenagers in your life; we’d like to hear as many perspectives as possible, as we work together to document this unprecedented shift in schooling.