Last Quarter of Online Learning Experience and Reflection

Carey has made several changes to the school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the students are continuously making adjustments to their lifestyles to accommodate the situation at hand. Carey has implemented a district-wide final project to make for a fair but challenging way for students to be able to wrap up the end of the year. Students can choose from a variety of options for each subject, which allows for greater creativity to be manifested. Many of the final projects encompass a majority of the work students have done throughout the year. These projects replace traditional tests and will make up a majority of fourth quarter averages. To get a better feel for how these changes have impacted the Carey community, we have asked a handful of students what their opinions are regarding the final projects.

“I feel like online learning is okay for the situation we’re in right now because we can’t be near each other, but it really takes away the personal feel of school… The final project seems fine, the only thing that’s annoying is that they’re all due in like the same time frame and it’s for every class. If we were still in school, I wouldn’t have a final for band class.” - Stephanie Noboa (11th grade)

“Waste of my time. Just give me a test.” - Anais Sayedi (11th grade)

“I think the final projects are a good alternative to having final exams, as they are a simple and effective way to gauge how much a student has learned over this past year.” - Noyan Jawad (11th grade)

“...I’m not retaining ANY information that they’re teaching me and I feel that teachers are only giving busy work to kids so that they have at least something to grade me and everyone else on and I think it’s just wrong.” - Bella Tricario (10th grade)

“I like it so much better than being in school because it relieves a lot of stress, but the teachers give more work online. For some people online learning right now is difficult because some of us still work and have family things going on.” - Alexa Anjos (11th grade)

“I think the final projects are a good idea instead of the test grades, but I think the due dates should be further apart because it’s a lot to do within a small time span.” - Emily Diproperzio (11th grade)

“I’m not learning anything.” - Jennifer Velasquez (11th grade)

“All of the projects are easy and doable. I like that we have a choice of what to do and that we can show off our creativity. I hate tests. This is better.” - Emaline McGibbon-Bloom (11th grade)

“I think final projects are easier for some people than others. Those with more creative minds will find the projects easier to complete. I think they’re better than final exams, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re easy.” - Gianna Montante (11th grade)

“Online learning is a great concept but not for the current situation we are in. Families are dying worldwide and we shouldn’t have to worry about unnecessary things such as how to solve for x...I feel like the final projects should be easier considering the circumstances and that we haven’t really learned anything from remote learning. The grading shouldn’t be harsh either.” - Anthony Martinez (11th grade)

“I think the final projects are better than taking an actual final. It gives us time to be creative and the projects are fun! From cooking a traditional dish to creating a superhero, there are many options to choose from.” - Rebecca Vetrano (11th grade)

“They are good. They aren’t too hard.” - Isabella Z. (11th grade)

“I personally perceive our final projects as an opportunity to encourage students to think for themselves and be creative. The projects are a good alternative for the daily work we are receiving.” - Kate Marcino (9th grade)

“I feel that online learning could’ve been a little more organized because at some points it was like all the teachers felt obligated to give us as much work as possible to make up for lost time or because they thought that their class was a priority...There should’ve been more communication among the staff about the overall amount of work that would’ve been assigned to the students. Final projects however I feel are very fair and are a well-constructed plan in place of finals. The workload isn’t too heavy and it seems like every student should be able to handle it with the amount of knowledge we have of the subject considering we aren’t getting the same learning material we would be if we were in school. Some of them also give the student a bit of creative freedom to make it original regarding the choice of project.” - Amelia Zych (11th grade)

“I think the projects are a smart way to end the fourth marking period. They aren’t too stressful and most of the projects are a fun assignment which makes me want to do them. I think they were a very good replacement for the finals.” - Liv Abrahamsen (11th grade)

Overall, the Carey community has mixed feelings towards the direction the school is taking towards the end of the year. Unfortunately, this end of the year compromise doesn’t end up pleasing all, but it certainly does mark a step in the right direction, especially when taking into account these unprecedented times.