Bronx River’s “Remote Fridays” system has been put into full effect. Students who opted-in for remote learning attended classes via Zoom, while the in-person students showed up at school with a revised schedule for in-person classes on Feb. 7. With the next Remote Friday set for Feb. 28, students reflected on their experiences.
Brian Michaca, a sophomore, liked coming to school on a remote day. “I like having classes with my girlfriend,” he said. He also enjoyed having gym first period. “Everything is good because my friends are here and I get to continue my learning in-person.”
However, not everything was perfect, he said. noting that there were lots of people in classes and his favorite teacher wasn’t in-person.
Senior Gabriel Gallardo isn’t a fan of going remote. “This whole online thing is unnecessary,” he said. He describes the whole experience as not beneficial and “very confusing.”
“It discourages kids from coming in and being social,” he said. Even so, he noted that having fewer people promoted a better work environment, but he’s still not a fan. “This is not how you solve the attendance issue,” he said.
Sophomore Jaylyn Gutierrez has mixed feelings about in-person learning on Remote Friday. She said that a good chunk of students still came in, making the classrooms “packed” and “squeezed together.” A negative impact was that she missed having yoga, rather than having to go to gym in the mornings. On the other hand, she believes that “less drama will occur in person” and it will be “very chill.”
The most significant reason she chose to come into school was because of her “attention span online isn’t good.”
Daisy Castro, a sophomore, shared similar experiences. She also missed having yoga. “Remote learning is quite nice.” Nonetheless, one pro managed to outweigh the cons, which was leaving earlier than the remote kids. “I liked leaving earlier; that’s why I did in-person.”
Alexis Santos, a senior, enjoyed his remote experience a lot and prefers it rather than coming into school on Fridays. “It was fun, he said. “I was able to get things done that I usually can’t when I have to come to school.”
With the luxury of school starting later for online classes (9 am), he was able to workout earlier and cook meals for himself, since he didn’t have to commute home to do so.
One complaint that he had about online instruction was that he had to turn his camera on for the entire day. He also wishes remote learning was asynchronized. Although he did miss being able to socialize and hang out with his friends, he ultimately prefers remote Fridays since he was “more productive” and “got a lot of stuff done.”
Despite the success of the initial launch of remote Fridays, one conflict with the in-person learning experience was the amount of kids who opted-in for remote learning still showing up to school. “Approximately 40 students were supposed to be remote but came into school,” said Tene Kelly, assistant principal. “There sure will be changes [announced soon] for in-person learning on Fridays.”
Despite the mishap regarding the placement of students, the overall attendance between remote and in person students stood at 90 percent, which was a good indication to educators that students were willing to show up for remote learning. Students are encouraged to continue showing up on the designated days for remote learning to ensure that the program can continue. As for the students who faced conflict with their forms, Ms. Kelly said, “It is extremely important that everyone’s forms reflect their choices.”
