Happy Anniversary, Covid. From: Students Around the World

March 12, 2020 is often referred to as “the day everything changed.” Reflecting on this day has made me incredibly emotional, it’s one of the biggest lessons we’ve had in adaptation and adjusting our expectations. While our experiences varied, I believe students around the globe were faced with a particular adversity that will affect us for the rest of their lives. At such a young age, our world was upturned and we were faced to grow, lead, and unite while the world crumbled in the face of disease and political unrest. As I reflect on my experiences a year ago, I feel solemn about the past year but also hopeful for what’s to come. Likewise, I hope you can consider the past year for its sadness while recognizing the potential for growth and prosperity forward.

On March 12, 2020, I attended a SuperSAC meeting. This is a group led by the Superintendent and made of student leaders from across the district, along with other zone administrators and APS department heads. At this meeting, we discussed Coronavirus and its role in our schools with the Nursing Services Department. I felt like a third grader on the first day of school, learning about the basic rules of handwashing, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, and do’s and don'ts of staying home sick with a fever. While we sat in the conference room talking about viruses and hygiene, one thing remained clear; schools were staying open as of March 12th, 2020 at around 1 in the afternoon.

The whole situation felt a bit bizarre to me. I remember calling my dad as soon as the meeting was over to tell someone what I just experienced, it seemed like saying my words out loud might make things feel more real. A strange virus had infected several people in the city, causing a massive uproar of confusion and a forewarning of caution into the future.

I was home for probably two hours when I heard the television hesitantly explain that all schools would be shut down for the next two weeks. Just a few hours before, I was under the impression that this virus was not dangerous enough to cause our schools to close.

Eventually I started to believe that maybe this will last for a short time and we’ll be back to normal soon. Though, as the days went by it seemed that things became much more serious than what we initially believed. I had no idea what the future held, but I know now that any expectations I had were not even close to the reality that would become.

Exactly a year ago, today, our state nearly completely shut down for what we thought was going to be two weeks. Today I am laughing at the naivety I had, like I’m sure the rest of the world is doing. I believe reflecting on the past year is incredibly important, but I’d like to specifically focus on the efforts that were made to support students during the pandemic and what I hope continues.

2020 was the year of adaptation and perseverance, where young leaders served selflessly to unite their communities despite all reasons to give up. Isolated and eager to act, I believe we realized the changes our communities needed. While we took the chance to act when our communities were most vulnerable, the need for change still exists even after the pandemic is over and we all seem “healed.” I’d argue that the return to normalcy will require even more determination and action than what was needed during the pandemic. Everyone is anticipating a return to the same standard of life we once knew, but perhaps this is an opportunity to adjust our new definition of normal while reminding each other that change is also a chance to grow. I’m eager to see how young leaders approach this opportunity, and I know we are fierce enough to execute it.

Out of all the areas we can discuss, there’s a specific few that I believe offer great opportunity to help our communities prosper. Young people have planted their stake in several places, setting the tone for how things should be executed from here forward.

Students are rarely very active in their district’s School Board and state legislature. Though as the possibility to return to school became more plausible, nearly every student in the state became heavily involved with local decisions. I saw students speaking in public forums at school board meetings, making public comments on bills in the legislature, and even coordinating protests for certain activities to continue. Every year, these governing bodies make incredibly important decisions regarding a student’s involvement in their fine arts programs, athletics, academic competitions, graduation requirements, and countless other things that affect our daily lives. It’s time that students understand the caliber that their voices carry and the importance of filling their seat at the table. Extracurricular programs help so many students understand their interests and passions, these were made to serve us. So, why don’t we start using our voice in the areas that directly impact us? As students understand the importance of their presence, we can create a new culture of accountability and leadership. I hope students stay engaged in these decisions after the pandemic in the same way I long to see extracurricular activities return and improve.

Perhaps more important than bolstering extracurriculars are academics. At the school I attend, nearly 100 seniors failed at least one class last semester and on the other side, almost 70% of freshmen were close to failing at least one class before the semester ended. We saw improvement with increased opportunity to be on campus through clubs and small group activities, but returning to school in person alone will not inherently solve class failures and engagement problems. Educators are so used to the traditional ways to combat a problem and stick only to the solutions that we know exist. Though, with new challenges we need to come up with new solutions. It’s time to realize that students are becoming less enthused with learning and more interested in the incentives behind it, remote learning only exacerbated the disinterest and now sets a new status quo of bare minimum. In a recent conversation with my sister, currently a freshman, she voiced her struggle to stay motivated in class. Some of her questions included, “What’s so important about receiving A’s? How do I know my teachers are invested in what I’m learning? Why is my education so ‘valuable?’” I tried answering, but our difference in perspective was too different to find common ground. These questions can’t be answered with “But we’re returning to school in person soon,” either. There are faults in our education system that were especially highlighted when we relied on students to guide themselves.

We can no longer expect our students to stay afloat in classes that provide no incentive to stay engaged. Remote learning highlights that not every student will immerse themselves in what’s being taught, they’d rather mute and turn off their camera than interact. Recognizing this problem, we must now ask how it can be changed. I believe student leadership can lead the way in structuring a new system built for us. Once again, I must highlight that letting students create policies and educational experiences that directly impact themselves will mean a better response overall. Perhaps there are new ways to incentivize students to learn and grow that will potentially create a new culture where those incentives are no longer needed. It’s time we look at the downfalls of education and the structure that guides it. This return to normalcy is an opportunity to adjust the status quo, and welcome change with open arms and understanding.

The pandemic has affected students in bitter and mournful ways, but that has been a reason for leaders to step up and create change for the people who need it most. Oppressed and marginalized groups have rose in the face of discrimination and deciet, tackling our broken world with a fierceness to renew and protect. Throughout the year, the shift in political climate has increased advocacy and involvement from students of color, students with disabilities, students a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and a number of other groups being represented along with allies to stand beside them. These groups from across the state have become increasingly politically active to achieve incredible things. From the long list of accomplishments, here’s a few that particularly stood out to me; enabling a feature on Google Classroom to change your preferred name for students who go by something different than the name they were born with, the introduction of The CROWN Act, a nation-wide campaign to stop hurtful language that affects students with disabilities, the formation of a group called ‘Diversify Our Narrative’ aimed to promote diverse literature to be taught in high school classes, an increase in activity from Black Student Unions, Asian American Pacific Islander Clubs, Indigenous People’s groups, and more. With young people leading the way to advocate for these marginalized communities, I believe the future is bright and the opportunities are vast. As these advocacy groups have grown over the past year, I hope they continue to grow and the stamina to fight continues.

While we usually focus on the negative impacts of Coronavirus, I believe many students and educators rose to lead and serve their communities and there is only room to prosper. Exactly a year ago, the entire country was faced with hardship and uncertainty. Today, we celebrate the upcoming return to school, local businesses reopening, and overall loosened restrictions on our communities. There is still a long way to go until we return to what we once knew, but I believe we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Even after the pandemic ends and we can rejoice with hugs and handshakes, a piece of this year will make up a great portion of who we are.

Happy anniversary, Covid. I’m overjoyed to see our time together (hopefully) coming to an end. It’s not me, it’s definitely you.

The Pandemic's Affect on Our Mental Health and How We Can Work to Solve It

I want to start by first thanking Interim Superintendent Scott Elder, the School Board Members, and everyone at APS that is tirelessly working towards this goal to reopen. The past month has been a rollercoaster of events, we were quickly strapped into our seats and it seems like the ride will never end. Though despite our fears and hesitations, the Board has fulfilled exactly what they were elected to do; serve their communities and act in the best interests of the students, teachers, families, and the communities they represent. On behalf of student leaders across the city, thank you for serving your districts the best you can. While our opinions may differ, I appreciate our shared love for student success and community betterment.

No matter the degree of how your mental health was impacted by the pandemic, there are resources and tools to combat these issues but we can only access them if we lead with empathy and unity. I believe I speak for almost everyone when I say that I’d love to return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle, but that doesn’t change the fact that things are different now and they will be from here forward. Though the people who use this environment to their advantage and find new solutions will become the leaders of the future. We all have the potential to better our communities and come out of this stronger, but that will only happen with the effort to collaborate and innovate.

Only recently did mental health become a vital aspect of a student’s learning. In September of 2019, I was a part of a group of students at Eldorado to make public testimony at the Albuquerque School Board meeting. Total, over 200 students, family members, and Eldorado community members showed up to support the cause, with over 40 of those people testifying to the Board. We all came in response to the growing mental health crisis happening across the state and the corresponding lack of attention to resources and care that students deserve. Mental health is still becoming common vernacular among educators and students, stigma still surrounds the topic and makes it nearly taboo. Though, that’s exactly what we are trying to change. To this day, Eldorado has received a family therapist to help students, an “Eagle Care Room” where students can relax and take time to themselves during the school day, a Peer Helpers group, an advisory curriculum centered around community building and unity, and a shift in perspective across the entire community. Overall, we have also created a place for students to voice their concerns, giving them a chance to create policy that directly affects them. After receiving the resources we fought so hard for, we’re now reaching out to schools across the district to get similar tools that would be fit for their school climate. The pandemic has only exacerbated the need for mental health resources everywhere. Our lives were completely upended in a matter of weeks and we may never adjust to this environment, though we can tackle the issue and let our emotions drive us to create solutions.

I’ll reiterate that everyone in all places experienced some shift in their mental health. Though we recognize that everyone has been impacted in this way, we must also recognize that returning to school will not inherently fix the challenges that the pandemic has created. It will require a duty from each of us in the community to foster improvement. These problems are not easily solved by improving participation in schools, sports or activities. Furthermore, our education that will one day return will not be the same as it once was. It will require collaboration between community members to create a better future for everyone.

As a student, I have a few ideas in mind of what next year’s “return to normalcy” would look like in terms of implementing better mental health resources. First, I think students need to have a role in the forefront of creating a better curriculum. After Eldorado’s initial showing at the APS School Board in 2019, students were finally given a seat at the table that was supposed to be serving them. Amazing things happen when the same people being affected by the policy, actually create the policy; it’s more genuine, thoughtful, and actually made to benefit that group because of the insight they carry.

Second, we must maintain unity even when things get difficult. Recent protests through APS have truly divided the community in ways that only further hurt our overall goal to promote student betterment. We must push for action as a united front, letting our motivation drive us to benefit the entire community. It will be incredibly difficult to get students the tools they need if we remain divided.

Third, utilizing what we can with the current circumstances. I’ve heard brief comments from parents and students claiming that teachers and administrators have “given up.” In response to those comments, I guarantee that educators and student leadership across the state have stepped up to continue supporting the entire student body. I know firsthand the incredible effort the Eldorado community has put in to make this year as amazing as possible for the school as a whole, and I know that applies to educators across the state. Campuses across the district have adjusted to this environment with determination to help students grow and succeed. There is nothing we want more than to return to what we once knew, but for now we must work with our current environment to foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Together, I believe these three tools will help create an incredible approach to the way we rebuild our mental health when we return to school. In fact, these three tools may help better serve the community in all areas of education policy.

In regards to school reopening, there are no villains in this situation. The students living with older people, pre-existing conditions, and all health barriers hold perspectives just as valuable as those students struggling with poor mental, physical, and social health due to remote learning. Furthermore, our administrators, legislators, and School Board members understand these perspectives yet it’s difficult to please all parties. Though, despite our differences in opinions, everyone holds a crucial seat at the table.

The Road to Normalcy and the Pit Stops Along the Way

There’s a key point made in the LESC budget recommendations that every student will find surprising; ten days added on to the 2021-2022 school year to make up for lost learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is no doubt that students across the state were taken aback when they looked at their school year turning entirely virtual, some adjusted well and some are still struggling to make this a functioning environment. Though despite the variety in student experiences, one thing remains clear; “normal” has an entirely new definition from here forward.

Looking at the possible return to in-person schooling next year seems like the ultimate win for students. There will be lunches in the cafeteria, talking with friends during class, going to football games, things will be fine in August, right? Wrong. Even if Coronavirus were to completely disappear, students cannot return to the same in-person environment they once knew. From a student’s perspective, returning to school this August will be just as difficult as, perhaps more than the quick switch every student made in March of 2020. There needs to be understanding and forgiveness across every school campus, we cannot expect our youth to adjust to these standards so quickly.

Though regarding the LESC document I referenced at the beginning, the question is, will this 10 day addition to the school year really be valuable for students, especially recognizing that there will be a slow, gradual return to normal? I would agree that remote learning has negatively impacted the amount of material that students have learned. According to both teachers and students at Eldorado High School, where I attend, the majority feels that only so much can be taught effectively and students need some self motivation to understand missed material. Though this isn’t just high school students experiencing this, elementary, middle, and high school students and teachers have noticed a significant decrease in learning from the teacher and an increase in the need for self teaching, which can be very difficult at these ages. This is nobody’s fault except for the pandemic’s, but there’s still action we can take to help ensure a quality education for students. Ten days added on to next school year is not the best solution.

Of all the students I asked about this topic, everyone wondered how much ten days would really help make up for the material lost. The substantial curriculum that students miss is valuable and worth learning, but trying to condense weeks of education into ten days is nearly impossible. Furthermore, is the financial investment into these ten extra days worth the value they’ll bring? The productivity in the last few weeks of school always dwindles, and students will have an even harder time building and maintaining this motivation next year. I’d argue that the best way to help students regain their stamina is not to add more academic material, but to focus on unity, community, and ways to support one another to eventually define a new normal.

School is more than a place where students go to learn. School is a place where students collaborate, socialize to create connections, gain knowledge from the most amazing educators, foster skills for future careers, and perhaps a little learning here and there ;) We can’t expect our teachers to teach as much material as possible in such a short amount of time. Students are already anxious to see what this return will look like, the expectation to produce more work will only create an unhealthy academic pressure for students. As a community, let’s invest in the mental and emotional support of our students to guarantee a safe return to normalcy where we’ll just have to trust time.