When the shutdown following COVID-19 seemingly fell into our laps, us students let out a sigh. No class. A longer spring break. A blessing until it seriously wasn’t. Day by day, the pandemic got worse and began to grab a hold of the world in the worst way. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to keep life going with the anchor-like weight of COVID-19 on our shoulders, consistently dragging us down. We made it through the last half of the spring semester, sick from cabin fever and praying the end would be coming soon like the rumors said. Four months later, we began our first full semester in the pandemic, and although it was a challenge for everyone, we survived.
Then, there came a shift in attitude. People were over it, over the trouble their daily life had become, and rightfully so. However, a change in attitude means a change in proficiency. The second semester started and suddenly the idea of COVID-19 and its crushing weight withered. It wasn’t a virus that killed thousands, it was an inconvenience. It was a political stance. A great many failed to take COVID-19 seriously in that regard anymore. This change has placed a great burden on students. We were met by our professors with an attitude that said, “You made it through one semester of this lifestyle, so you shouldn’t be affected by COVID-19 anymore.”
From the minute we started the Winter 2021 semester, our lives had become dominated by our work. Work has invaded our homes. When we aren’t earning money to survive, we are sitting at home participating in class. When we aren’t in class, we are working on homework with a “late work equals a zero” rule shoving anxiety into our bodies. Our tests are to be taken in the comfort of our home where the comfort is stripped away by the lockdown browser camera surveillance, hovering over us worse than any professor in a real class has. The professors can’t catch up on grading because of the mess and stress they are experiencing during the pandemic, causing us to stress even more about whether or not we are going to pass. All the while, our usual break that we are accustomed to is taken away for a shorter semester. You just read the recipe for the biggest and longest burn out in history for all parties involved.
The biggest problem facing students right now is the wall professors put up to create a power balance. We already operate in an educational environment akin to a high school environment with social organizations and similar academic expectations, but it does not help that our professors forget to treat us like adults, let alone humans. We are all going through it. Tolerance, understanding and sympathy are required from all of us if we are going to get through this, not only as an institution, but as a global community.
This is my cry out for help on behalf of the students struggling to meet expectations this semester: cut us some slack. Stop the hard grading, stop the difficult testing, stop forgetting we have lives, too. Let’s all communicate and get through this together. We all want to learn and be a part of the renaissance born out of the destruction COVID-19 has left in its wake. Give us a chance to avoid being part of the ash.
