School day schedules have been compressed to
deal with the challenges of social distancing and
remote learning. The pace of instruction has also
been slowed by the need to cover subjects that
were skipped following the school shutdowns
last spring and by students’ virus-related
distractions and the difficulty in addressing both
online and in-person audiences.
Foy typically has students memorize how to read
and write names for chemical formulas. Now she
gives them a sheet with the nomenclature to
refer to during quizzes and tests. Even though it
is an important skill for scientists, there isn’t time
this year.
What she teaches is constrained not only by her
district’s hybrid model, which leaves her with
about 25% less instruction time, but also social-
distancing mandates that have forced her to
scrap laboratory experiences.
She was unhappy to see the College Board
announce that it would not modify AP exams
this year to account for the strains of distance
learning. The company said colleges expect the
exams to reflect the full scope of coursework
and there was no consensus about what content
could be cut.
The strain shows on the faces of her students,
including some who juggle part-time jobs or
care for siblings on days they learn from home.
“Students are not dealing with a full tank of
emotional or intellectual gas. They’re exhausted,”
she said. “All I can offer them is, ‘I am there with
you. I’m running this marathon with you. I care
about you. I am going to try to be fair, but I need
to continue pushing because we all have the
same goalpost.’”