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Thursday, April 9, 2020

Los Angeles: The New Reality: Overwhelmed. Isolated. Unfocused. Very Stressed. | Diane Ravitch's blog

Los Angeles: The New Reality: Overwhelmed. Isolated. Unfocused. Very Stressed. | Diane Ravitch's blog

Los Angeles: The New Reality: Overwhelmed. Isolated. Unfocused. Very Stressed.


While enthusiasts for online learning predict a boom after the pandemic, as students and teachers get used to learning at home online, the reality is different on the ground. Stress, loneliness, and boredom are typical reactions.
A team of reporters in Los Angeles reports on student reactions to the loss of face-to-face instruction.
A senior at John C. Fremont High School in South L.A., Emilio Hernandez has a class load that is about as rigorous as it gets: AP calculus, physics, design, English, engineering and government. He loves talking to his peers in English class, who make all the readings thought-provoking. He often turns to his math teacher, who has a way of drawing the graphs and walking him through derivatives and complex formulas.
Now, with a borrowed laptop from school and family crowded in the living room, he’s struggling to make school feel like, well, school. He has trouble falling asleep and finds himself going to bed later and later — sometimes as late as 3 a.m.
“Assignments that would normally take me two hours or 30 minutes are now taking me days to complete. I just … can’t focus,” he said. “I don’t have anyone giving me CONTINUE READING: Los Angeles: The New Reality: Overwhelmed. Isolated. Unfocused. Very Stressed. | Diane Ravitch's blog