Allison Beale

Covid-19 essay

The arrival of covid-19 to the United States sent a shock that passed through everyone.

Global citizens have exhibited mixed emotions of fear, sadness, and shock. Panic erupted

causing many to scramble to find a new way to continue their lives. Events, businesses and even

schools were forced to close all throughout the country. Like many, I have been filled with

mixed emotions about the entire situation. While I wish life could continue on as it should, I am

filled with utter sadness towards the victims and their families. With the quick growing

numbers, the country had no other option but to close, including the school systems.

To adhere to the current crisis at hand, many schools have had to transfer to an online

curriculum. With programs such as schoology, zoom, and google drive, the transition was

smoother than expected and allowed many to access their work easily. School systems have

even provided hotspots and computers to those who do not have internet access at home.

Despite the positive efforts that the College Board and state school boards have been making, the

past few weeks have caused my opinion on education to suffer. From overhearing CNN news

stories, to just reading teacher updates, it has come to my attention that these new circumstances

have brought lower standards and requirements to public education.

Throughout the country, there have been many different takes on what to do in this

situation. Some schools dived right in and immediately started to schedule zoom sessions to

match the normal block schedules. Others have assigned little to almost no work because of the

hope that school will reopen, limited access to technology, and the struggle to adjust to the new

setting. Instead of being uniform and allowing everyone in the public education system to have

the same learning opportunities as they would usually have. Students are then put at a

disadvantage towards their future. They are being stripped of the knowledge that may need to

continue their curriculum in upcoming years. Other differences between states is whether or not
 Allison Beale
Covid-19 essay

they should finish out the year with a fourth quarter. Some will continue with it as normal, and

others, such as Virginia Beach City Public Schools, will use it more as a continuity of learning.

While there is a great benefit in offering advantages to increase their grades, there will also be a

decline of motivation and work ethic. Since there will be no repercussions to not coming to a

zoom meeting or not doing assignments, teachers have no way of monitoring how efficient

students are learning. Even with the opportunity to increase one’s grade, many will most likely

contribute in class or complete the work just so they achieve the grade they want to acquire.

The Corona virus has brought a multitude of disadvantages and struggles that the United

States must learn to adjust too. As we progress through this new era, we can only hope that our

education system will return to normal.