Op-Ed: Hamilton-Wenham Students Need Open Communication

The following was written and submitted by Lily Glass, a sophomore at Hamilton-Wenham High School. Glass wrote the essay for a class where she was asked what it's like being a student during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email samantha.mercado@patch.com

Covid Confusion

Being a student during the coronavirus pandemic is certainly difficult to say the least. In the spring we had to learn to operate zoom, keep track of our assignments, and how to maintain a social life while completely isolated, all while coping with the anxiety the unclear future brought. Now things are a little clearer, we’re used to the masks, I’ve figured out how to screen share on zoom, and with the new vaccines, an end is finally in sight. That’s not to say things aren’t difficult now. Social distancing in our cramped hallways is challenging, the building is freezing with all the windows open, and even though we’re all coping with the stress of a global pandemic, I feel like I’m getting more homework than ever.

Though all of this is extremely stressful, the most irritating thing about being a student right now is the lack of communication. Communication between the school committee and teachers, between different schools in the district, between other districts and our own, between parents and teachers, between parents and students, between parents from different schools in the district, the mixed messages from the state and even the federal government.

To me, it seems that anyone involved in education, whether it be preschoolers or college presidents, is lost right now. Maybe if we all sat down together (or zoomed), the millions of students, teachers, and parents, we could come to a consensus about what should be happening right now. Probably not. Many of us are too proud to ask for help or learn from our peers, or too opinionated to listen to others. I remember tuning in to school committee meetings over the summer with my mom, it sounded more like parents fighting than people working together to actually help the schools.

Quite honestly all of this is a little frightening, and I have to wonder what it says about our society, all these people refusing and/or struggling to communicate with each other. As far as I know, our district hasn’t been talking or coordinating with other districts at all. I don’t get why not, are we too cool to ask for help or admit we’re struggling? I heard about a nearby district that has all of the middle and high schoolers remote, emptying the schools so all the elementary students can be in school full time. That’s a great idea! Why aren’t we doing it? I don’t know.

In September there was a mom in my neighborhood who was going from door to door with a petition. It was a petition to get us all back in school full time. I get it, she has elementary schoolers who can’t cope sitting in front of a computer for six hours. But she seemed to completely forget that most middle and high school students can do that without an issue, and was surprised when my mom didn’t sign it.

A lot of people seemed to forget that, that most of the older kids are pretty independent and can handle things themselves. This is very apparent in the way the school communicates with us, the students. This is by far the most frustrating part of being a high schooler right now, the lack of communication between the school and the students.
Unfortunately that’s usually the case, coronavirus or not. I shouldn’t say there isn’t any communication, because that’s not true. It’s a one sided relationship, the school tells us what’s happening (though lately that’s been very vague), and we nod our heads and don’t respond. There’s the occasional “how are you feeling right now” survey, but other than that we have very few opportunities to share our thoughts. And from what I’ve heard from other students, we often have very good thoughts.

Many of the ideas I've heard from my friends and classmates have been smarter and more creative than what I’ve been hearing from parents, teachers, and even the government. Even my younger neighbors, most of whom are in elementary school, have good ideas. Even if we had terrible ideas it would be nice if someone heard us out, it can’t do any harm. At the very least the school could check in on how we’re doing more often, the occasional survey is nice but it isn’t enough. Adults need to make sure we’re okay, but they also should be asking us what they can do to make things easier for us. Even though the students of Hamilton-Wenham are very capable and independent, we can’t be expected to be doing totally fine amid a global pandemic. No one can.

If we try to understand each other and work together we could get through this pandemic much easier than we are now. And even when covid is a thing of the past, ensuring we have good communication between each other, whether it be individuals or groups, will make life much easier for all of us.