Essay Draft #2

Images are a great way for time to be captured and looked upon later. The following Images were all taken during the pandemic and all relate to me in a personal way. The first image is of my grandma beaming after she dyed her hair purple. The second image is of  my dad and the precautions he followed to make sure the neighborhood kids had a good Halloween. The third and final image is a screenshot of a text I received late October; it was an ad attempting to persuade me to “vote red” in the upcoming presidential race. The three images are unique in their own ways yet are tied together through a similar experience.

Image one is a picture that represents the experience of many people during the pandemic. All throughout 2020, people grew bored of sitting in their rooms and needed something to spice up life again while locked-down. A common theme was people changing their appearance, especially when it came to hair. Dying and cutting hair are simple and easy and only need a few materials. The pandemic sent many people into this frenzy and it soon became a fad. Many look back at this time with regret, as is the case with the image shown. The story behind it is simple. My grandmother grew weary of sitting in her home alone and needed something to pick her up. Before the pandemic, dying her hair purple would have been an outlandish idea that she’d turn her nose up at. However something about being locked-down for a year changed her opinion. Now, that things have returned to somewhat of a ‘normal’ state the thought of dying her hair returns to something she would never consider.

The pandemic made people do things they would have never considered. With little contact to the outside world, other people seemed to only exist through a computer screen. The fear of judgement no longer existed or was at least lessoned. How could these little pixels on my computer actually judge me? It is not like they are real people? A slight exaggeration, but many people felt this way, including myself. This lead to changes, temporary or even permanent, in hopes to make the pandemic lock-down more bearable. With less judgment people explored more parts of themselves and learned what they did and didn’t like.

The second image was taken on Halloween in the year of 2020. The image is of a father trying to make the best of what is available to ensure that the neighborhood kids had a Halloween at all. Before then, parents all around the US were worried on how to make this happen. What precautions to follow to keep everyone safe? Would Halloween even happen that year? This meant parents had to get creative. Masks were decorated and added to costumes. Candy and snacks were individually wrapped to ensue same consumptions. United, the neighborhood worked together finding ways to make Halloween happen. Unity was seen all throughout the pandemic. People putting their differences aside and coming together as one.

Taking care of kids is no easy task and the pandemic made it more challenging for parents. Kids missed out on many social opportunities, birthdays, holidays, school. Parents had to find ways to make up for the loss of social interaction. Following the precautions set by the CDC, parents invented new ways of gathering and celebrating to keep some sort of ‘normal’ life for their kids.

While the pandemic brought us closer together, while apart, there were forces that worked to divide us. The third image was an ad I personally received late October, right before the presidential election of 2020. The text reads “Vote Red” in a big bold font. The ad was aiming to persuade me vote for the then presidential nominee Donald Trump. The lack of logos and ethos were the ads downfall. The ad failed, as I was more worried about how I received this message from a spam number than I was interested in voting red. The ad also lacked any sort of evidence to back up its argument to vote red.

During this time the nation was more divided, split between ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’. Fear tactics involved pathos and were used in hopes to scare individuals into a certain way. They often lacked any sort of logos and were used with a big name or a political party to add some credibility. When logic and evidence are missing fear is used to ‘persuade’ which is never a good thing. Scaring people does not do any good. It does not actually change the mind, it merely makes the individual too scare to voice their own opinion.

The pandemic is not over yet, however things are starting to look better. What was learned over the course of the last two years will not be forgotten. Things changed and new ways of doing things were created. People are resilient and people are malicious. People are compassionate and people are narcissistic. The pandemic highlighted the best and the worst of people. What do you think the books will say about you?

Research Paper (Blog Post #7)

Covid 19: The American School System Pushed to the Limit

            The Covid 19 pandemic swept the globe in the early months of 2020. The world shut down immediately without having time to prepare. Schools, offices, and companies closed which left students and workers at home remotely fulling their duties. The Pandemic highlighted the best and the worst of both people and the systems in place. Mental Health was brought forward as a main concern, next to the worldwide pandemic. People were isolated. Facing obstacles without known solutions. The American School system was tested, pushed to the limit, nearly crumbling under the weight of the pandemic, along with the increasingly concerning mental health crisis and the growing digital divide. For almost two years, students and teachers had to carry on from their own homes.

Classes were held virtually and daily school work became homework. Some say this was a good thing, others point out the flaws and challenges faced during isolation. With the everchanging position of the pandemic daily routines were in constant adjustment, which had a tremendous impact on the lives of students and teachers. Mental health and the Digital Divide were issues that impacted many. Merriam-Webster defines The Digital Divide as “the economic, educational, and social inequalities between those who have computers and online access and those who do not”.

 

When schools shut down, there were hardly any systems set in place to handle any of the numerous complications that were brought onward due to the pandemic. The internet disparities as well as the growing mental health crisis being two of the largest areas of concern for schools. Responses for both were in desperate need. High school students were experiencing the highest amounts of mental health concerns ever recorded.

The full impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic on mental health has yet to be seen, though it is known there was a tremendous impact from the first two years. The mental health crisis reached an all-time high as more students delt with stress and anxiety. Different factors played into the likelihood of experiencing such emotions when faced with the realities of the pandemic (Gazmararian et. el 360). It is important that when students feel stressed or depressed they have a support system they are able to reach out to. During the pandemic many students felt isolated at home. It was hard to connect with teachers and build strong relationships with peers. This needed an immediate response from school systems, however, “Only 50% of students said that, between the start of the school year and the survey in late October, someone at their school had reached out to ask how they were doing. (Raeal Moore, PhD and Shannon Hayes, MPA 106).

Most schools have a consoler and depending on the school size might have more. It is a hard job to have, often undertaking both the mental wellbeing of students as well as the logistics of their current and future school career. With such large undertaking school counselors were overwhelmed during the pandemic. Students were left often to deal with their own mental health struggles in quiet. 70% of white students said they had an adult at their school they felt comfortable speaking with if they were experiencing any mental health issues. However only 52%, just over half of black students reported having an adult at the school they could reach out to for support (Moore and Hayes).

The graph above shows the racial differences between the students responses.

Throughout the pandemic it was made clear that people of color were more likely to experience stress and anxiety related to the pandemic. They were also less likely to have an adult in school they felt comfortable with reaching out to if they needed someone to talk to (Gazmararian et. el).

As the pandemic spread schools across the nation switched to virtual learning. This meant that all classes and assignments were to be held and completed at home. The concept of virtual learning was not new to college level education, for virtual classes had been offered even before the pandemic. On the contrary, high schools were left with many questions and unknows as they advanced forward with online schooling. Conflicts arose as many students did not have the necessary equipment for online education.

Computers became vital to everyday life, even more so than they were before. Not only was it a way to keep in touch with peers but it was also a means of communication between student and teacher for classes. The Washington Post sates that “Nearly one in five students between kindergarten and 12th grade do not have computers or speedy Web connections, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center in 2018, the latest available, which said this “homework gap” disproportionately plagues low-income families and people of color (par 10).” The internet disparities that high schools faced were only made worse due to the pandemic.

Schools had to adapt to the new normal and provide sufficient resources to those in need.

The digital divide was only made worse due to the pandemic. Lower income families  and those in rural areas were hit particularly hard by the closings of schools across the nation. School systems had known of this conflict long before the pandemic but with lockdown came the increasingly important need of internet. Many schools passed out laptops or some sort of electronic device do help students complete work from their homes. However, this did not solve the problem that some students did not have a strong WIFI connect or internet at all. An article on the World Economic Forum states that “People without robust internet access are being left behind academically and economically” (Roese par 7). It is important that everyone come together to help solve this problem that impacts so many.

The million dollar question is how do we do this? There is no easy way to solve this problem, however it is crucial that we do. Experts suggest that merely expanding 5G with more telephone poles is not the answer. The problem is far deeper than that, as many places do not have the capabilities of running under a 5G network. John Roese, Global Chief Technology Officer states that, “We need to shift away from legacy telecom architectures and embrace virtual, software-defined, open and automated technologies. This requires investment from major IT and cloud companies, which has already started but needs to move faster.”

Large companies are not willing to put money and effort into easy and excisable internet. If there is a profit to be made most companies will chose the option that will make the most, not help the most. This has been seem time and time again. Large companies turning a blind eye to problems being faced by many.

The pandemic brought people closer together even when further apart. The differences between one another shown bright, but through those differences, similarities arose. People came together to help those in need, in ways never seen before. A lot was learned throughout the years of the pandemic Understanding between others grew as people put themselves into the shoes of others. Teachers and students became more conscious of the mental health crisis and the digital divide that held many people back the past years. Resources were dispensed in hopes of lessening the blow the pandemic had on high school students.

Work Cited

Anderson, Monica, and Andrew Perrin. “Nearly One-in-Five Teens Can’t Always Finish Their Homework Because of the Digital Divide.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/26/nearly-one-in-five-teens-cant-always-finish-their-homework-because-of-the-digital-divide/.

Gazmararian, J., Weingart, R., Campbell, K., Cronin, T., & Ashta, J. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of students from 2 semi-rural high schools in georgia. Journal of School Health, 91(5), 356-369. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josh.13007

Green, Erica L “The Students Returned, but the Fallout from a Long Disruption Remained.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/us/politics/covid-school-reopening-teen-mental-health.html.

“Digital Divide Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digital%20divide

 Moore, R., & Hayes, S. (2021). Mental health supports and academic preparedness for high school students during the pandemic. insights in education and work. ().ACT, Inc, 500 ACT Drive, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, IA 52243-0168. Retrieved from ERIC Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/reports/mental-health-supports-academic-preparedness-high/docview/2560329467/se-2?accountid=11226

Written by John Roese, Global Chief Technology Officer. “Covid-19 Exposed the Digital Divide. Here’s How We Can Close It.” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/covid-digital-divide-learning-education/.

Romm, Tony. “’It Shouldn’t Take a Pandemic’: Coronavirus Exposes Internet Inequality among U.S. Students as Schools Close Their Doors.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Mar. 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/16/schools-internet-inequality-coronavirus/.

John W. Schoen. “This Map Shows How Millions of Americans Are Isolated with No Internet during Coronavirus Pandemic.” CNBC, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/map-digital-divide-leaves-millions-isolated-during-coronavirus-panic.html.

Walker, Tim. “Getting Serious about Teacher Burnout.” NEA, NEA, https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/getting-serious-about-teacher-burnout.

Positivity is Key

I had the honor of interviewing my grandma for this final project. During the pandemic one of the most impacted groups of people were those 60+. They faced many challenges over the past few years and witnessed things they had not before. I chose to interview my grandma because she has a unique perspective on the past two years of the pandemic. Her experience is far from what mine was, which makes it all that more important to listen to her side. Though there were many differences, there were a similar connections between our two experiences.

Question 1: What lessons, If any, have you learned from the pandemic?

Alice: “I have not experienced anything like this. I was confined to the house for some time. What I learned was that, with life changes, you can’t get through them without positivity. I found myself being positive and hopeful that one day I would be able to return to my life before the pandemic. That positive mindset got me through those months.”

“I had friends who let the negativity get to them. They refused to realize our lives had changed   and we needed to adapt to the changes. I never regretted  staying in the house. I knew the best thing for my health, was to listen to professionals and my family and to do what was necessary to keep myself well.

A common theme between many was the need to remain positive. The pandemic was hard on everyone for varying reasons, however, through that struggle, people found ways to cope. Whether it was their positivity, or their long phone calls with friends, or their interest in a new hobby. People made the best of a terrible situation

Question 2: While you were in lockdown, what did you find yourself doing?

Alice: “I found myself wanting to do something that I had never done before, I dyed my hair purple. I just felt good about it. It was something that was fun for me to do since I couldn’t do many of the other things I enjoyed.”

“I also found myself talking to my friends and family on the phone. That was the only way for us to share recent personal life changes. Normally we were too busy to have lengthy conversations. By talking it out, we supported each other which helped us get through without negativity.”

The pandemic made people do things they would have never considered. With little contact to the outside world, other people seemed to only exist through a computer screen. The fear of judgement no longer existed or was at least lessoned. How could these little pixels on my computer actually judge me? It is not like they are real people? A slight exaggeration, but many people felt this way, including myself. This lead to changes, temporary or even permanent, in hopes to make the pandemic lock-down more bearable. With less judgment people explored more parts of themselves and learned what they did and didn’t like.

Question 3: Now that the pandemic is near over, what are looking forward to?

 Alice: The one thing I miss most are the family gatherings that we have not been able to have over the past years. Now, I am able to enjoy being with family. Our family was a support system throughout the pandemic, we worked together.

“I am X number of years old, but I learned that I am the child, and my children and grandchildren are the parents. They love me and always want what is best for my health and wellbeing.”

During the pandemic, everyone has a different experience to share, which made it even more important to hear what she had to say about her situation. Getting to have this talk with my grandma was a true pleasure. I was happy she was willing to open up in ways she rarely does. The pandemic brought people closer, it taught us that the people we have in our lives are to be treasured.