Running Head: VIRTUAL LEARNING AMIDST COVID-19 BREAKOUT 1

Hannah Walker

SEU 312: Principles of Learning

Professor Andrew Miness

October 27, 2020

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The Mental Strain of Virtual Learning Amidst the COVID-19 Breakout

Due to the global coronavirus outbreak this past year, students and educators have been

forced to adapt to the circumstances and continue education virtually. The transition for many

has been tumultuous, but many educators have worked tirelessly to familiarize themselves with

new technology and applications to ensure a seamless transition into virtual learning. While it is

important to prevent the virus from putting education to a halt, it is also critical to consider the

living situations our educators and young people have and the trials and tribulations many face

through the navigation of uncharted territory.

According to the New York Times, many people are suffering a digital divide; some

people may not have access to the proper resources to succeed:

New research suggests that by September, most students will have fallen behind where

they would have been if they had stayed in classrooms, with some losing the equivalent

of a full school year’s worth of academic gains. Racial and socioeconomic achievement

gaps will most likely widen because of disparities in access to computers, home internet

connections and direct instruction from teachers. (Goldstein, 2020)

While it’s critical for people to understand the pronounced digital segregation many

students are encountering, it is also important to recognize that many students are also deprived

of academic support they may otherwise receive in face-to-face classes.

This can place added pressure on both educators and students. Within the four walls of

schools, there is structure and discipline, routine, focus, and socialization, whereas in

quarantine, people are working and studying in their homes, where there are countless

distractions. Many students are getting lost in schoolwork piling up as they slowly lose the drive
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to continue. Some aren’t getting the academic support they might otherwise have received and

others might not be receiving the support at home from parents.

Educators have their hands tied when it comes to providing the proper academic and

emotional support that many students with IEP’s (Individualized Education Plans) and 504’s

would typically receive. In a recent CNN article, reporter Matt Villano observes the daily

educational lives of young Jaydon and Oliviah Scott. Both students have IEP’s, one living with

severe autism and Tourette’s syndrome, while the other lives with mild autism. Due to the

pandemic, they learn virtually, and much of the responsibility of academic support lies on

mother Alicia Burgstahler.

She claims that this responsibility is a full-time job. According to Villano, her children

aren’t receiving the support that the school would typically provide. “In a typical year,

Burgstahler's children would receive additional support at their respective schools — her

nonverbal son in the form of an aide who is with him all day, her daughter with a counselor as

needed.” (Villano, 2020)

Oliviah, Jaydon, and Alicia are unfortunately not the only families struggling to adapt to

the unforeseeable circumstances, but because everyone is navigating uncharted territory, there

aren’t too many studies published to assist educators in providing the necessary resources

through a computer screen. There is an immediate disconnect between students and educators.

Authors Paul C. Gorski and Seema G. Pothini published a book entitled Case Studies on

Diversity and Social Justice Education (2018.) The second edition of the book covers

hypothetical case studies to spark conversation amongst up-and-coming educators and push

them to consider productive solutions. While this book was published far before the COVID
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outbreak and educators are teaching face-to-face, some of the case studies may help educators

discover new and intuitive methods to better the educational experience for their students.

In one case study, the authors develop a hypothetical classroom study of Ms. Grady. In

the study, Ms. Grady addresses parents and students on Back-to-School night about the

importance of cultivating good study habits at home. She highlights the importance of having a

designated place at home to study and to keep study materials in that quiet place. Ms. Grady

even decided to give out pencil boxes to each of her students, that way they had pencils, pens

and erasers on-hand to complete their homework. Shua’s parents seemed to be very responsive

to her suggestions.

However, weeks later, she noticed that Shua was handing in homework with food stains

and items crossed out, instead of erased. She later met with Shua and discovered that he and his

older brother do homework at the kitchen table while others are eating and has other siblings at

home that use his school supplies and don’t return them, so she decides to give him another box

of supplies with his name marked on it and tells Shua to find a good place for it. Weeks later,

Shua was still handing in homework with food stains and crossed-out items on it. After talking

with him the second time, she has found that Shua’s siblings are still using his supplies

periodically. Ms. Grady considered reaching out to the parents during the parent-teacher

conferences to give them a referral to a local agency that receives household items and school

supply donations to give to those who are less fortunate, but ends up second-guessing herself

and finds herself in a predicament.

After looking at the case study, I think Ms. Grady was trying to enforce good study habits

in her students at a younger age so that when they grow older, their preparation and

organizational skills are sharp. Talking to the parents could be beneficial for some families
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because some parents may act as the at-home reinforcement their children need to stay on track

for their class. While addressing the families on back-to-school night could have been effective

for most, Ms. Grady should have accepted from the start that some students will not get that

additional support at home, regardless of what she will do to reach out. Suggesting to parents

that students will be more successful if they have a designated quiet space to work is good, but

it should only remain as such: a suggestion. While I think it’s important for teachers to make the

effort to include parents in the educational process, Ms. Grady also needs to maintain a realistic

perspective on the situation and understand that the faculty at school may be the only

reinforcement or support some students receive.

Ms. Grady’s frustration towards the sloppiness of Shua’s homework submissions is

understandable. However, I think it is a little extreme of her to immediately think about

referring them to the agency. It might just be more effective for her to mention the sloppiness of

Shua’s homework considering she didn’t explicitly address them about it before. Ms. Grady did

remark that Shua’s parents did seem responsive to her suggestions about the designated

workplaces at home during the back-to-school event. I believe that opening the floor for an open

conversation with Shua’s parents regarding the state of his homework would be step one. Ms.

Grady is going to have to read the reactions and body language of the parents before making

any unnecessary decisions about this instance. If they appear to be receptive, monitor the quality

of Shua’s homework over the next few weeks to determine if another meeting is necessary. If

another meeting is necessary, it might be effective to reinforce that you are pleased with Shua’s

performance on completing his homework in a timely fashion. Then, it might be helpful to offer

that referral to the family or to offer assistance or a quiet place for Shua to complete his

homework during the school day. (Gorski and Pothini, 2018, pp. 45-47)
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While this particular case study was in a face-to-face setting, teachers today can

incorporate Ms. Grady’s plan to send out resources for parents that are falling into these

academic support positions. By reaching out to parents, it may provide comfort in solidarity.

Everyone is experiencing these unknown circumstances, so suggesting these resources for

parents may help them with the transition as well.

Education Reimagined, an online database of resources for educators, parents, and

communities amidst the COVID-19 outbreak could be viewed as helpful for those struggling

with the transition. While each student and their academic needs should be carefully reviewed in

a case-by-case manner, this database could be the first step when reaching out to parents. Their

mission statement reads as such:

As a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, millions of young people and their

families have seen their local schools closed down for weeks or the entirety of the

remaining academic year. Thanks to education leaders and organizations across the

United States, there are myriad resources for young people, parents, and educators to find

grounding during this unprecedented moment and engage in rich distance learning

experiences. (Education Reimagined, 2020)

This database contains an organized table of contents of resources for teachers, families,

and communities to ease the transition to virtual learning. Some of the resources Education

Reimagined has for families include back to school tips during COVID-19, a parent’s guide to

virtual learning, federal response to COVID-19 and what that means for families of students,

digital resources for overwhelmed parents, and creating an authentic learning experience at

home.
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Virtual learning is still a new and foreign practice for many around the world, but with

the myriad of resources out there, reaching out to parents and students to monitor progress and

ensure the mental well-being of students is the first step to successfully leading a virtual

classroom. As a society, the United States still has a ways to go before fully understanding the

complexities and laboriousness of virtual learning, but through community and mindfulness,

educators can guarantee the success of their students from beyond the computer screen.
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References

Education Reimagined. (2020, September 09). Distance Learning Resource Center. Retrieved

October 28, 2020, from

https://education-reimagined.org/distance-learning-resource-center/

Goldstein, D. (2020, June 05). Research Shows Students Falling Months Behind During Virus

Disruptions. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/us/coronavirus-education-lost-learning.html

Gorski, P. & Pothini, S. (2018). Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education.

Routledge: New York, NY.

Villano, M. (2020, September 24). Students with special needs face virtual learning challenges.

Retrieved October 20, 2020, from

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/24/health/special-needs-students-online-learning-wellness/

index.html