The constant switch between in-person and remote learning is creating unproductive and disengaging learning environments, most noticeably among freshman classes. It is not easy being a freshman in high school in any circumstance, but this year has been especially challenging for the class of 2024. Many freshmen didn’t step foot into Latin until January of this year, and some still haven’t. As a result, freshmen have barely been able to collaborate with their classmates and get to know one another.
Teachers and teaching assistants have noticed that the freshman class tends to participate less than other grade levels. But is it simply due to the distractions that come with virtual learning, or are the freshman too nervous and embarrassed to participate?
Upper School math teacher Zachary McArthur has observed that freshmen tend to keep their cameras off more than his older students do. “I hypothesize that it is partially because they haven’t had the social opportunities to get comfortable with their peers,” Mr. McArthur said. “When videos are off, verbal engagement seems to drop quickly, so my senior TA Anees Goparaju and I encourage all of our students to keep their videos on as much as possible.”
Senior Eliza Bufferd, who TAs a physics class, expressed her awareness of the low engagement amongst the freshmen. “The difficult thing about this year is it is hard to tell if the freshmen are being shy or just don’t know the answer to the problem,” she said. “In-person, teachers can tell if a student is confused by reading their body language, but, over Zoom, [when] most of these students [have] their cameras off, it is hard to tell.”
“Additionally, I have realized that more students participate on the in-person day, where they cannot also be on their phone, so possibly these students are only actively paying attention when they are in person because there are no distractions,” Eliza added. Fewer and fewer students have been attending in-person days, however, as it tends to be a hassle for many students.
Senior Pamela Cameron shared her similar perception of freshman participation in the Novice High Spanish class she TAs. “I don’t think limited participation can be attributed to laziness,” she said. “I think that freshman and sophomore year help transition students from a Middle School curriculum to the Upper School curriculum, and without much social interaction, curiosity in subjects has lessened.” She added, “I believe that with familiarity comes comfort to speak and make mistakes in the classroom, but because many freshmen don’t know their entire grade, there could be hesitation to put themselves out there.”
Pamela talked about this issue being extremely difficult to fix, but she said, “The easiest way is for upperclassmen to try to be an example-student of how to participate, how to question, and how to use breakout room time productively.”
Some freshman students shared the reasoning behind their lack of partaking in class discussions.
“COVID has definitely caused me to participate less, because I’m not close with my classmates, and I worry about them judging me,” said freshman Coco Schuster. She emphasized that she believes it is the same for her friends as well.
Freshman Nicki Dowd, however, said that her participation level is based on whether she understands the material. “It’s embarrassing to get the answer wrong in front of the whole class, and it can be a little nerve-racking to present something despite the odd circumstances this year,” she said.
It is tough to offer a single explanation for the reluctance of freshmen to participate as much in classes this year. In or out of a pandemic, freshman year tends to be the most demanding for everyone in navigating a new environment, meeting new people, and participating in classes. Talking in front of unfamiliar peers is hard enough, but talking on a screen to a bunch of peers who don’t even have their cameras on seems to be worse. In addition to the administration’s vigorous efforts in making sure the freshman feel engaged during the most challenging times, teachers and upperclassmen can continue pushing their students and classmates to participate as much as possible.