-
What Online Learning Has Been Like For Me
by Marylene Bioh
In mid-March 2020, I was having a wonderful week in school until I heard these words come out of my 8th-grade science teacher’s mouth: “So guys, if you haven’t heard about COVID-19, cases are rising so there’s a possible chance we’ll be out of school, and if it gets worse, we might not come back.”
-
Making Schools More Fair, Welcoming, and Safe
Our writers asked tough questions about the issues they face at school. Here are New York City Schools Chancellor Porter’s positions on back-to-school Covid safety, New York City’s long history of education inequality, student vaccinations, and how to work successfully with a new mayor.
-
Almost Derailed by the Pandemic
by Vinay Hinduja
Last year I was in the spring semester of my junior year at Queens College when COVID-19 shut school down. At first, I was excited that I wouldn’t have to wake up early for class anymore. Then I found out I was getting kicked out of the dorm—which was my home.
-
From the Bronx to Brandeis
by Shelley Polanco
My grandparents, my mother, and my four uncles moved to the United States in 1995. They left behind their home in the Dominican Republic with the dream that an American education could take you anywhere. My grandfather could only attend elementary school in the DR, and he wanted more for his children and their children.
-
We Asked 8 New York City Teenagers: How do you feel about returning to school?
It feels like the ones in power do not really care about us. New York City has the nation’s largest school system with approximately 1.1 million students. If we all go back, it is likely that interaction with our peers and strangers could cause many of us to contract the virus; cases are bound to rise.
-
TIPS FOR TEENS: Breathing to Stay Calm
by Laya Yagersys
During this pandemic, stress levels have increased for many teens. Before we all began staying at home, I had worked hard to bring down my anxiety, but during lockdown, my anxiety levels started to go up again. My psychologist recommended breathing exercises, which have made it much easier for me to deal with staying at home all the time.