With media saying one thing and the government saying another, it's time to talk to the people who are actually on the front lines... the students. Zed News YYC reporters offered their views on what junior and senior high school is like right now for them. Do you feel safe at school? SS: Yes I do I feel safe with all the safety protocols. If the school did have a positive COVID test the rest of the class or grade wouldn’t get it. PM: I feel very comfortable at school, but I also feel that COVID is going to spread no matter what protocols are in place due to how far it travels. What is the difference between how the news media portrays what school is like and how it actually is? KL: The media places a lot of hype around the changes in the school and how it’s different compared to before, which is true, but every day goes on like a normal day— it doesn’t really feel like what the media says it is. SS: The news media’s portrayal of school is that it’s dangerous even though it's not. PM: The government and media seems to be playing the situation down and acting like everything is going according to plan, however many of the staff and students are struggling to make ends meet with supplies and materials due to the budget cuts in 2019. There also is no social distancing in the halls. The media portrays the more accurate side of what is happening, whereas I find the government is not accounting for how students and staff are feeling about their plans, and treating this as the best solution for people's mental health, but many students are more nervous being back in-person. Are you worried about missing classes or learning this year? SS: No, I’m in school this year so I’m not missing anything. KL: I’m not really worried about missing classes or learning because the information is also posted online. HP: Yes, because if I miss one class it is like missing a month of lessons. It is because our classes are in quarters and each class is 2 hours and 30 minutes. So if I catch a cold I might have to catch up on school work as well. PM: No, because I skipped quite a bit last year (every Friday - #fridaysforfuture) and didn’t fall behind. If we move online I will most likely do better mentally and in the sense of grades. How did you feel before you went to school and how have your feelings changed? SS: Well this is probably the first year that I’ve been excited to go back to school. Before I hated school because of how mean some people were and how boring some of the work was, but after online school I found a new appreciation for actual school. There are still some jerks that tease me, but they don’t bother me as much and compared to online school the work is a huge upgrade. It’s a big step from 6th to 7th grade and I can’t believe I progressed even though I missed 3-4 months of school. P.A.T’s (Provincial Achievement Tests_ got canceled and I’m kind of glad (Even though I’m an above average to straight A student) I would have failed my science one because of how bad I am at trees and forests. KL: Before I went to school, I was kind of hesitant about it because COVID, and quarantine made it so that having a lot of free time every day was the norm. Going back to school would mean losing that free time, especially going to school in person. Now that I am in school, my views of what is ‘normal’ has changed once again and now, I’m used to having work to do during my free time. PM: I had the briefest sense of wanting to be back in the first week, but that ended fairly quickly because I don’t see my best friend at all during the day because of separate lunches and their are so many procedures to follow that it isn’t worth being back in my opinion. I am now happier after the first few weeks of getting use to things, but I am definitely finding it difficult to maintain that motivation to be in-person. What is it like to wear masks in school all day? KL: It’s not all too hard for me to breathe in the mask, although there are times when it can get warm and stuffy inside the mask which makes it uncomfortable. The straps of the mask around the ears can also hurt because it digs into the back of the ears, so you have to constantly adjust the straps of the mask so it doesn’t hurt as much. SS: It’s kind of annoying but you get used to it, you can take it off at snack time if you spread out, Gym & Lunch too. PM: It is something every student is still getting use to, but I find it rather annoying because even though I am six feet away from other students and staff in my seating plans I still have to wear a mask. When do you take the mask off? HP: I take my mask off when we go outside for a snack break during drama class, as well as lunch when we social distance. SS: During snack, lunch, and gym class. KL: I can only really take my mask off during lunch periods when it isn’t crowded and before/after school when I’m socially distanced from others. We don’t get mask breaks during class, so we can’t take our masks off during the day. PM: I only take my mask off at lunch for 30 minutes and during my spare when I am off campus Do the masks make it harder to learn? If so how? HP: Yes, because I take drama and it is harder to make facial expressions and the mask sometimes muffles our voices making it harder to hear people. SS: No, it can just get irritating covering my face. PM: Yes, it makes harder to hear my peers and teachers. It has been especially hard in English because we typically have group discussions and seminars that require conversation. Do the school staff enforce the new rules? KL: The teachers and staff enforce the rules concerning sanitizing hands and desks every time you enter a room and they also try to enforce direction rules in the hallways (though that’s harder). SS: Yes they do, they give us friendly reminders they don’t get infuriated if we’re 5 feet apart instead of 6 PM: Yes, our principal, vice principals, and school police officers enforce the rules when we are in the school. Do your teachers seem stressed out or cool as cucumbers? KL: Our teachers seem pretty chill teaching, although there was some confusion at the beginning of the school year about who’s teaching what and where. SS: Cool as cucumbers PM: I definitely noticed that the teachers are stressed out, but they are trying to stay as cool as cucumbers When is it hard to social distance at school? KL: During class changes and lunch hours when student activity is at its highest. SS: During Lunch, Gym, and Snack time, and when you have partners for a project. HP: It is hard to social distance at my school during drama class because drama involves interactions and talking. It is also when we have lunch because we have a lot of students so it is harder to sit where we don’t have enough room for everyone to sit and eat. PM: There is no social distancing in the halls when the bells ring because there isn’t enough room and on buses to and from school. My math class is also full with over 35+ students so there is no way to socially distance. Have you changed how you get to school because of COVID-19? KL: The way that I get to school has stayed the same (getting dropped off by my parents), however the way that I get back has changed. Before, I used to take public transport but now I also get picked up by my parents. SS: My transportation has changed, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I miss doing the stupid Bus G board. I miss checking people’s name’s off and scolding Hussain & some of the junior highs for being late. I miss Lucy, Ava, Ayla, Isabelle and Claire’s whining. I miss Manuel and Cohen blasting either baby songs or extremely inappropriate (Not clean at all) songs on their phones/ speakers. I miss Adam, Suleman, Hussain, Bowen, Kagan, Merve and Beyazit swearing at me & my friends. I miss playing Filthy Rats and annoying Adam and his friends as revenge. I miss getting to sit with Ivy and the little kids at the front of the bus on Fridays. I miss the bus driver stopping in the middle of the road and scolding us and constantly screaming at us, Bus G will always live forever in our hearts. HP: yes, before COVID I would take the city bus to get to school but now because of COVID my mom drives and picks me up. PM: Not really, my parents are not super concerned about COVID so I have been mostly taking the bus. The main difference is I now I have my license and drive to school on my own when my parents don’t need the car. Has any of this changed your friend group? KL: My circle of friends hasn’t really changed in terms of school, we still keep contact over apps like Whatsapp. However, I have been able to expand my friend circle outside of school on Discord, due to the increased amount of time we had to ourselves during to COVID quarantine, SS: No not really occasionally we hang out separately in small groups but usually together sometimes half of us go somewhere and the other half go elsewhere. HP: My friend group has grown because I’ve invited a bunch of grade tens into my friend groups so it hasn't really stayed the same. PM: It has because we alternate lunches and last year we all bounced off each other but now we have a different dynamic. I don’t see many of my friends anymore because of the alternating lunch times, which has definitely made me less inclined to continue with in-person learning. I chose to go back because of the social aspect and now it is harder to get back into the flow of it. Why did you decide to go to school instead of learning online?
SS: Because Online school is boring I could barely survive three months let alone one year or one semester! KL: I decided to attend school in person because I personally find it hard to keep my pace when it’s not checked on and it’s all left up to you. When I learn in person, it’s easier for me to keep track of work daily and to reach out for help. HP: I decided to attend because online school is going to be harder so I wanted to get good grades since I'm in grade eleven. PM: I chose to go back in-person for options and for the social environment. What are your biggest concerns? What would you have done differently if you were the government / health minister / school board? SS: I’m worried what would happen if someone in my school tests positive KL: My biggest fear concerning school and COVID would most likely be a positive case potentially spreading and shifting again to online classes. PM: If I were the government I would have not sent high schoolers back to in-person learning because they are capable of taking care of themselves at home and doing online learning. At the very least I would have done a blended program, where students come for a few days a week and spend the rest at home working on previously assigned schoolwork. Whereas younger kids are unable to and should have the option to go back to in-person to help parents that work full-time. Do you think Grade 12 students should have to write diploma exams this year? SS: I think they should, because it will really affect their future if they don’t. HP: I think they should take the diploma because the marks are what the university looks at in order to decide if they can be admitted into the school. PM: No, because this past year has been extremely stressful for students and taking six months off has definitely affected how much of the pervious curriculum was taught. How do you feel about reporters asking students questions about this issue? KL: I would be fine with being interviewed because it’s a topic that I’m comfortable with discussing and have strong opinions about. Personally, I feel it’s important to get all views of people touched by this pandemic and especially the people that are directly affected by COVID - the students. SS: Nervous, don’t judge me, I don’t want to be interviewed about a subject I don’t feel comfortable with (although I love being in front of a camera) I don’t want to be broadcasted on millions of screens across the Country (World). HP: I would be extremely nervous because I get extremely shy when talking in front of people I'm not comfortable with. I also tend to shy away from the camera. PM: I think it’s important that the media gets students perspectives on the matter, however I don’t agree with asking elementary and Jr. High students due to their age and the need for parental consent. Reporters should be asking high school students about their opinions with their consent and ensuring that the student is not busy or skipping classes. The idea of treating high school students as people=on-the-street makes the most sense to me, while they are at lunch or before school.
0 Comments
|
AuthorsZed News Reporters Archives
October 2022
Categories |