Mental Health with Distance Learning

By Murrow News - Kerstin Rosser

PULLMAN, WA- Students at every grade level across the United States have had an abrupt change in their learning. Classes have turned online in an instant, and at the end of the semester, students are struggling to keep up. Online learning takes a different format, suddenly students are logging online from the comfort of their own home. Zoom and Google Classroom are taking place of in-person teaching, and some lectures are pre-recorded making understanding concepts more difficult. The biggest toll of online learning is the mental health aspect of it. students who never before had problems in school are having anxiety over schoolwork and exams, and fighting depression from not having face to face contact with teachers and friends. The lack of conversation and added screen time leaves students zoning out in classes, which only adds to their anxiety when concepts are becoming more challenging to understand. From college advisors, to elementary school social workers, their ideas are all the same on how kids of all ages are struggling, and needing to lean on others more than ever. As much as Zoom and Skype calls are helping open up conversation, not every kid is willing or has the means of doing so. When talking to students, they are struggling with the online format, with lack of motivation and increased anxiety. Although the pandemic is still in full effect, students are hopeful they will be able to return to in-person classes in the fall. 

 

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