Introduction
An advanced response in the social world emerged in tandem with the outbreak of COVID-19. The nature of individuals is characterized by their capability and activeness in dealing with drastic changes due to uncertain events. During the coronavirus pandemic, students were forced to adjust their learning methods by embracing virtual classes, learning to be alone in isolated environments outside class, and facing excess free time. For example, in Michigan, which serves as the basis of this paper, students who learned remotely would experience difficulty in covering the content, making it challenging to contemplate their academic future. Students adjusted by shifting to new learning models, embracing distance learning despite increased disease cases and insufficient funding from the state agencies.
This research focuses on students due to their unique experience as learners over three years, during the pandemic’s climax. The individualized support for students recommended safety in delivering academic duties. Scores of students were able to navigate their key educational issues, thereby settling on the way forward (Dorn par. 4). However, it was challenging to assess the academic growth of many students due to the challenges of in-person training, where a tutor evaluates a student based on their learning capabilities.
The Pandemic’s Impact on Learners
The effects of COVID-19 were felt across every state in the US, leading to new learning models. Due to the increased number of cases of people with COVID-19, the state of Michigan had to impose several measures to combat the disease’s prevalence. Michigan learners were required to study online, where they generally learned less than they did in previous years.
The average test scores decreased when comparing the fall and spring, regardless of how the tests were administered and the instructions provided on the paper. For example, Katherine Strunk, a director of education at Michigan State University, says that “In 2021, about 18% students didn’t demonstrate any growth on the math achievement test…with that decline to about 10 percent…” (Carmody par. 3). That means the interruption affected the desired performance rate for many students, and that is an adverse situation that has twisted education policymakers.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented some mental challenges to learners. The vulnerability to changes from learning on a broad spectrum of curriculum to the fixed deliverables measure made many children unable to sustain the weight. One of the most contributing factors is isolation, as the introductory part depicts. A learner who was accustomed to sharing physical learning platforms with others experienced significant changes in the new learning mode and may have developed common mental health issues.
The unexpected changes that came to someone’s life threatened the sustainability of their health, and that is how many were diagnosed with psychological problems. 20% of students reported that their mental health was worsened. In comparison, 10% of parents said that their children experienced harm to their emotional well-being (Steinberg par. 5). Thus, the ‘upside down’ of the world due to the virus took a toll on young people’s mental health.
During the pandemic, achieving equity among students was challenging due to socioeconomic healthcare gaps in Michigan and across the country. This report highlights the opportunities and gaps between the high- and low-income student populations. In this aspect, low-income students were less likely to have an equitable share of resources that facilitate distance learning.
Evidence can be seen where African-Americans and Hispanics in high-poverty institutions spent five more weeks than the white students in remote instruction (Aguilar et al. 15). The result in this case means the less fortunate learners were further behind their peers in educational development. In other words, a lack of equity led to a digital divide, as accessing modern learning devices and the internet was not standard for every learner.
Many teachers mentioned developmental effects and how the pandemic changed students’ lives. A student isolated at their place meant they would not mingle and interact with others, hence, being unable to create relationships, which was a key setback. The social skills required for interaction were lost during the virtual classes. The sense of routine became lost, leading to the slow development of the mind and social ties (Dorn par. 3). The exploratory mind was affected, as during e-learning, there were no field trips, practical experiences, and opportunities to apply real-life situations from classwork.
There were more devastating effects of COVID-19 than positive outcomes. Although a new trend of adopting technology in education emerged, the adverse nature of the pandemic outweighed any enhanced learning capability through technology. The magnitude of learning from a restricted zone means that learners would have more time to address their issues, which often led to misbehavior and violence among students (Steinberg par. 8). Parents would notice the changed traits in their children, resulting in conflicts every time. Other students with few issues would indulge in unwanted manners, such as fighting within the areas of residence.
Learners’ Adjustment to the Pandemic Impacts
With the rampant adverse effects of the pandemic, students, through the parents and teachers, got alternative solutions for addressing the existing problems at that time. Michigan students had to adapt to online learning by completing tangible work and sending it to their tutors. Teachers advised the learners to cover various concepts daily, contributing to time management. Due to the nature of being busy, issues such as emotional instability and the development of unwanted behaviors would be reduced (Dorn par. 9).
In Michigan, for instance, school districts had to implement individual learning plans for learners. That meant providing the students with highly individualized instructions to engage them most of the time. Various schools created learning platforms that addressed the students’ specific learning deficits, thereby combating the adverse outcomes of the matter.
The issue of equity, as presented by digitalization in learning, forced some schools to provide learning devices for students in need. That included providing laptops to learners who faced financial strains. Additionally, teachers were trained to understand the metrics of online teaching by learning ways of offering online instructions depending on the students’ capacity to learn through online platforms (Steinberg par. 6). The school heads encouraged teachers to make plans to deliver instructions during the lockdowns to keep students busy, hence, prevent the isolation effect. The workload for learners was adjusted every time as one way of embracing distance learning, which can be complicated for some children in Michigan.
Regarding mental health, a range of activities and arrangements were implemented to address the deficit in the psychological well-being of the students. Teachers encouraged students to participate in puzzles to refresh their brains and participate in sporting activities at home. The students tried to get entertained through social media and mainstream media channels.
Some students said that watching documentaries about the pandemic would give them hope, as they were worried about infected family members (Dorn par. 4). Other students had realized how they could create structured happiness during the lockdowns and had embraced this by setting goals. For example, many would form online friendships that would be used to share situations and encourage each other through good wishes.
Existing Challenges and Problems
Despite the fight and efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on learning in Michigan, challenges persist that pose a risk even today. First, the growing number of people discovered with the coronavirus was terrifying and would make one fearful; hence, they would lose their minds in whatever they were doing. Some students say that it was traumatizing when they learned that various students could not attend classes because they were in intensive care units in healthcare facilities. The trauma was more when a learner started imagining the same coming or facing the adverse impacts.
Second, compressing education online was challenging (Mauriello, par. 4). Although technology is effective, it requires proper planning and infrastructure to be implemented effectively. For example, some students were unable to log in to their classes and had to wait for the issue to be resolved. Additionally, machines often experience technical problems, and this was evident during the classes, as participants cited disrupted activities that added to their problems.
The third challenge was ensuring uniformity in the dispatch of content to students. When teaching in person, a teacher may navigate a problem by learning about the gestures and nonverbal cues of the students. However, telling a problem during distance learning when the audience is virtual is significantly challenging. Thus, providing quality education was a key challenge despite efforts to mitigate the adverse outcomes. In Michigan, the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) strategy posed challenges to execute due to differences in schools’ performance, students’ abilities, and available resources (Carmody par. 7).
The funding from the state and federal governments was insufficient, as many activities required financial support. For example, staffing challenges were rampant, meaning that learners would face acute challenges of guidance from appropriate and specialized teachers. “Partnership districts are facing severe staffing challenges, and without enough qualified teachers and staff, they will continue to struggle to implement the interventions necessary to improve student outcomes” (Ward par. 4). Strunk’s quote states that the MSU teaching fraternity experienced the challenge.
Additionally, educators cite that the effects of the pandemic appear to be long-term, and many education stakeholders are concerned about the efforts put in place. The reason is that the required interventions may only last briefly, meaning the concept is uncertain. For example, the government’s vaccination programs may be limited by the changing nature of the virus, which could lead to unforeseen variants.
Conclusion
The disruption of learning due to COVID-19 had a significant impact on students. Complete digitalization was embraced, isolation led to mental health challenges, and the lack of equity among students was rampant. The issues were addressed using strategic approaches, including individual instructions, the provision of devices, and guidance; however, these measures were implemented to mitigate the impacts of experienced problems.
Having the issues makes it a challenge to withstand the effects of the coronavirus and, at the same time, continue to improve education through strategic approaches. The state of Michigan needs to implement a substantial policy that encourages modern transformation to address the effects of the pandemic (Mauriello par. 6). If this is done, human beings will have a solution to any unpredictable problems they may face in the future.
Works Cited
Aguilar, Stephen J, et al. “When School Comes Home: How Low-Income Families Are Adapting to Distance Learning.” Social World, 2020, pp. 12–21. Web.
Carmody, Steve. “New MSU Study Finds Michigan Students Are Recovering Academically from the Pandemic.” Michigan Radio. 2022. Web.
Dorn, Emma, et al. “Covid-19 and Education: The Lingering Effects of Unfinished Learning.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company. 2022. Web.
Mauriello, Tracie. “Michigan Students Forced Online by Covid Learned Less than Those in Schools.” Bridge Michigan. Web.
Steinberg, Anya. “4 High School Students Talk Mental Health and How the Pandemic Changed Them.” NPR, 2022. Web.
Ward, Kim. “Michigan’s Lowest-Performing Schools Faced Extreme Challenges, Some Successes.” MSUToday. 2022. Web.