This pandemic is going to change the way we live our lives significantly going forward and life is never going to be the same from this point on. Many aspects of our everyday lives have completely shifted and transformed into the unimaginable. Although the Coronavirus has impacted many components of the lives of Americans, the world of  education and student learning has faced many obstacles that will change the way students learn and teachers teach. 

To begin, this pandemic has affected students’ learning in a variety of different ways. Some students are going to face the effects of not being in school more extremely than others. Former Secretary of Education in Massachusetts, Paul Reville, explains, “Generally speaking, the most economically challenged in our society will be the most vulnerable in this crisis, and the most advantaged are most likely to survive it without losing too much ground” (“Time to fix American education with race-for-space resolve” 1). Although teachers are working hard and doing everything they can to keep their students in touch with their learning, some students simply do not have the resources and support that they need outside of school to succeed. For example, some students have parents who are very active in their child’s schooling, and especially for younger students this is important so they have someone instructing them and encouraging them to learn and exercise their knowledge. However, for many students, their parents are NOT involved and therefore they aren’t receiving the proper assistance with work teachers assign, or aren’t granted access to technology in order to receive the work and help they need. Due to the lack of resources certain students face, I foresee there being a big gap in classrooms come the fall with where students are at and how much they have progressed. 

Additionally, not only will the pandemic have an effect on students’ academic lives, but on their emotional lives as well. According to Matt Barnum, who is a national reporter for the educational site Chalkbeat, schools “…need to be thinking about addressing the trauma that students may have faced. Presumably the best way to deal with that is to have trained professionals in schools, who can work with students to talk this through and support them in this” (Markus 1). Many students have lost loved ones due to this virus, which will greatly affect their school experience, and it is difficult during an economically challenging time for governments to take action in order to have the proper resources and professionals in schools to help with the devastating effects of the virus. However, in an optimistic light, I have faith that, hopefully, schools will understand and account for these challenges that students have faced. 

The lives of students going forward truly depends on the extent to which teachers are engaging with their students virtually from home. According to Worldbank.org, “Maintaining the engagement of children, particularly young secondary school students is critical. Dropout rates are still very high in many countries, and a long period of disengagement can result in a further increase” (Saavedra 1). Teachers must play a critical role now, whether it be through an online video chat platform, or a podcast (which requires less data storage and is a cheaper option), in order to ensure that students feel connected to their learning. Not only is their learning important, but maintaining relationships with classmates will also enable students to maintain healthy social skills. Teachers connecting students with other students virtually is a great way to keep the class connected, especially for students in the younger grades. If teachers continue to encourage and support this social interaction, then students will feel much more connected and motivated to learn once they return to the classroom. 

Surprisingly enough, this pandemic has sparked a lot of interest and enthusiasm about taking advantage of the online world and all it has to offer. Many teachers became excited to try out this new style of learning and see how it impacted their students’ grades and overall learning experiences. From personal experience, I have actually recently discussed online learning with my current math professor, and she told me she was excited to start online learning and explore different platforms and methods for teaching us. She emphasized how excited she gets when she discovers new features on zoom, or figures out new ways for us to submit quizzes and tests. She said that whenever we get back to in person schooling, she plans on utilizing some of the online tools she has learned in her classroom. In regards to specifically college level education, I foresee many college courses to start transforming to online courses because of the successes both students and professors experienced this past semester from courses being online. An article describing the impact of technology on the University of Sydney explains, “Once we get beyond the current crisis, universities should shift the focus from basic training on tools to more advanced training incorporating course design and assessment of learning” (Lerman and Sen 1). Technology has played a big role in the redesign of courses and curriculum, and I believe it will continue to play an important role in universities as professors will want to continue to utilize the resources they learned about during their pandemic experience. 

In conclusion, teachers around the world are faced with many challenges due to the unexpected severity of this pandemic. However, as long as they put in the time to accommodate to each individual student’s needs, strengths, and weaknesses, then the world of education will overcome this virus one step at a time and pave the way for a brighter future.

Works Cited (MLA): 

“Educational Challenges and Opportunities of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.” World Bank Blogs, The World Bank Group, 30 Mar. 2020, blogs.worldbank.org/education/educational-challenges-and-opportunities-covid-19-pandemic.

Markus, Daniel. “How the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Affect an Entire Generation of Students.” Vox, Vox, 23 Apr. 2020, http://www.vox.com/2020/4/23/21233042/coronavirus-online-learning-teachers-students.

Mineo, Liz. “The Pandemic’s Impact on Education.” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 10 Apr. 2020, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-education/.

Reda, Valentina, et al. “Could the Coronavirus Force Positive Change in Higher Education?” Times Higher Education (THE), 9 Apr. 2020, http://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/could-coronavirus-force-positive-change-higher-education#survey-answer.