The Story
Students aren’t feeling so good, and it’s not just the coronavirus.
Wait, what?
Student mental health has become a cause for concern during hybrid learning. Everyone has to stay 6 feet from each other at all times, there’s no lunch block, and no time in between classes when students would typically socialize. This is causing people to feel more isolated than usual.
What else?
We talked to students of all different grades, and they all said they’re feeling like the workload is much heavier than it would be if they were in school full-time. The most jarring change across the board is the amount of homework. Students say they feel like teachers are pressured to cram everything they would do in a 75 minute class into a 40 minute class, resulting in giving the leftover classwork to finish, on top of the homework they were already assigned. And surprise, added stress typically leads to worse mental health.
The other perspective?
News flash- the teachers aren’t thrilled about hybrid either. According to one teacher we spoke with, the 40 minute classes are the biggest challenge of hybrid. It’s obviously way harder for them to cover the amount of material they would normally fit in a 75 minute class in a 40 minute class. So the whole extra homework thing kind of makes sense? On a nicer note, they do look forward to the in-person blocks, so they can teach more curriculum and see all of our beautiful faces. Aww.
It all comes down to…
According to a survey on our instagram @runawaybulldog, a whooping 68% of students who responded think their mental health is worse with the hybrid schedule. And in case you haven’t taken Statistics yet, that is a pretty big percentage.
How is the school helping with it?
They’re kinda… not? The guidance department has sent out one email which included a link to a remote mental health resources document, but that’s just about all we’ve heard from the school regarding the subject. It was planned that clubs and other organizations would run for more socializing, but per our previous issue, it looks like that’s not going to happen for a little while. But, to their credit, apparently they have been very receptive to all of the teachers’ concerns since the beginning of the pandemic. So they have one thing going for them.
The Runaway
Maybe BHS should, you know, try and make sure students start feeling better about hybrid learning. Because we’re probably in it for the long haul.
What to Say…
When you were just dying for more political turmoil in NH…
Leave it to a visit from Betsy Devos, the Secretary of the Department of Education. That’s right, the official United States Department of Education. On Friday, she dropped by Riddle Brook to congratulate them on their excellent response to COVID-19. She was also supposed to go to McKelvie, but it was cancelled because of – get this!- a new positive COVID-19 test. You can’t make this stuff up. Her Riddle Brook visit made a lot of people angry because Riddle Brook student parents aren’t even allowed to go inside the school. Apparently, an exception was made just for Betsy DeVos. Yikes. Not to go out on a limb here, but that’s probably not a great look for the school district. But your call.
When BHS still feels a little empty inside…
It’s because sports games haven’t started yet. The only exception is golf, who had their first match last Wednesday and had another one last Friday. But sorry golf, it still doesn’t feel like enough to fill the void. Fortunately, we have a big week ahead of us. Cross country has their first meet on Thursday, and bass fishing has a qualifier on Thursday too, whatever that is. Field hockey is playing on Friday, along with… drumroll… the football team. They’re back, baby! Volleyball and both soccer teams have games on Saturday as well. So don’t fret, Bedford will have a soul once again very soon.
Things to Know
A teeny tiny update…
The Market and Main apartments were rejected. Rest in peace.
In case you missed it earlier…
There is another COVID case at McKelvie. We’re really crushing this social distancing thing, aren’t we?