Interviewer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
2020 has impacted each and every one of us in challenging and unpredictable ways. For students, it has meant a radical shift in how they are being educated. We’ve been talking with Asian American Minnesota youth about their 2020 school experiences. In this first entry in a multi-part series, we interview high school junior Alysa.
Please introduce yourself!
Alysa: My name is Alysa Monteagudo, my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am currently in 11th grade. I go to Highland Park Senior high school. And our school is doing completely distance [learning].
What happened to your academics in the spring, when the pandemic first hit the US?
Alysa: So I actually think it was kind of funny, because the whole St. Paul school district was on a strike the week before they announced that schools would be closing. So we were out of school for a while already, [almost] used to it.
I think the most difficult adjustment would have to be not talking to people all the time. Not being able to have even small conversations with my friends, it drained me and made school a lot harder to get through.
[Also,] there was no set schedule, and even though we didn’t have that many assignments, I felt like I spent a lot more time working at school. School usually ends around 3pm and then you have time for homework. But with Covid, there is no set time for school to end for me, [so] I just keep working on schoolwork, which is tough. But I like having more time to do assignments and not having to wake up super early.
What is your school’s current structure for the fall 2020 semester? How is that structure working or not working for you?
Alysa: [School is still completely online.] Now [compared to the spring], we have scheduled class times, so I think that’s good. [However,] I think that teachers could maybe be a bit more communicative when it comes to explaining things. [And] there’s a lack of attention. Even if you show up to the meeting, it’s really easy to just be on your phone and do other things. I definitely see a lack of motivation between me and my classmates.
As far as social life, I still stay in touch with my friends, FaceTime them. We talk a bit less [though], and it is better to see them in person. And as far as family life, I think at the beginning it was really great. Because you got to see your family every single day, you got to eat meals together. And every night, we would do something together as a family, which sometimes wouldn’t happen during the normal school year. But then after a while, you start to get tired of seeing the same people 24/7. Sometimes it is better to talk with new or other people!
I like the flexibility of distance learning. [Also,] I think speaking through your device is easier than speaking in person. I’m not sure exactly why, but for some reason I feel more comfortable, maybe because I have more time to think about what I’m going to say. But I find myself participating a bit more during distance learning. And I like that aspect of it.
I don’t like how you can’t really have a personal connection with teachers. You can email them. But otherwise, you’re just another student and you can’t really build that personal connection with a teacher.
What are your hopes and fears for the future of your education?
Alysa: I think something that worries me is the students not paying enough attention in school anymore. There might be a very big contrast in how students feel about school now because of distance learning. If this [distance learning] continues on into the spring, students might find ways to work around school, and be lazy with it.
In terms of hopes, I think that the technology, [with] teachers using different resources and learning about new things, will be really helpful. And it will be cool for students to [learn] different platforms online. The technology aspect of what we can do online versus if we were in person, [I think that’s cool.]