This past year has been filled with struggles amongst students’ mental health, as jumping from Zoom back into in-person learning has been very difficult. In March of 2020, St. Lawrence administrators told students that they had to depart due to the start of the pandemic, as we finished our year at home, on Zoom. The following fall semester, we still had zoom classes yet were able to return to campus with strict rules. Going along with the mental health issues that the transition in learning has caused, McKenzie Haberl 23’ states, “It gave me social anxiety talking on Zoom, so now when I have to talk in person it makes me really anxious.”
Zoom has been a prominent tool that has helped with the education system throughout the Covid-19 global pandemic. As students all over the country have had to use Zoom for the past year, being back in person has been a major adjustment. Associate Dean of Academic Advising, Elun Gabriel discussed how faculty, just like students, were really excited to get back to the kind of education that St. Lawrence professors find most valuable, in-person learning. When asked if he thought Zoom has increased anxiety for students to participate, he replied “I have heard that with Zoom, but I do not know if it has also affected student participation in in-person classes.”
With this semester being fully in-person, teachers still followed with anxiety as an outbreak occurred within the first three weeks of being in Canton. As dozens of students began to test positive, teachers were trying to think of the best options for students moving forward. Gabriel reports, “[Professors] have not thought of what they were going to do for the surge, so some went fully online to support those students” (Gabriel).
For instance, some courses, like jazz dance, are required as part of the communications major. With a course like this, that is intended to be in person, Jazz professor Jessica Madden has stated that it affects “being able to cross the floor, along with in person contact” which is important to a class that requires movement and interaction. In the beginning of the semester with the outbreak, Madden allowed for Zoom classes, but being in a dorm room it is hard to move around in such a small space. Madden also states that, “For the most part, students still seem to want to do the work, but there seems to be more mental and emotional struggles making it more difficult to do the work.” This exemplifies how schoolwork is not the only struggle as students’ mental health has taken a toll in getting back into in-person learning.
Going abroad has been adjusted for many as the boarders of countries have closed. With a language class, this effects the true knowledge that a student pertains when going abroad along with the lack of communication they are able to have on Zoom versus being in- person. Visiting assistant professor of world language Rafael Bejarano stated it is “difficult to create an environment where everyone knows other people, because with language you communicate in many different ways.” This lack of face to face conversation affects learning languages which you need when trying to perfect it.
As professors need to adjust the ways in which they teach, students have to adjust their focus levels in which they learn. Many students across the globe have this struggle but particularly St. Lawrence students do because the liberal arts, small college prides itself on the small classroom learning environment in which is lacking. A student at St. Lawrence, Alexa Bracco 23’ states that “the hardest adjustment is waking up, getting dressed and going to class. While being on Zoom, I could just wake up and turn on my camera.”
This shows that being on Zoom rather than in-person has not just affected mental health but students’ motivation to go to classes. Chloe MacDonald 23’ said “I personally think that the hardest adjustment was my appearance transitioning to in-person classes. It was so easy to put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and go to class. Now I actually have to put effort in, which I have not done since freshman year.”
Covid-19 has affected students learning when coming back in-person. Students and teachers have been on Zoom for the past year, which affects how they interact and learn in- person. Current struggles with students’ mental health, motivation, and work ethic that were not prior issues have come into play as these students and teachers are trying to make this hard time into the best situation possible.