Dine and discuss event shines light on students struggles with remote learning

The+Student+Voice+Committee+will+hold+a+dine+and+discuss+event+next+week+during+the+students+lunch+period.+The+discussion+will+be+about+the+social-emotional+and+mental+health+effects+of+remote+learning.+

Emily Shiff

The Student Voice Committee will hold a dine and discuss event next week during the student’s lunch period. The discussion will be about the social-emotional and mental health effects of remote learning.

Despite the challenges presented with online learning, the student voice committee continues to enforce the M.E.T.E.A life statement. The Student Voice Committee holds several lunch discussions throughout the year. This year, the first lunch discussion will be an e-lunch where students can share their input on the struggles of remote learning. Students can sign up before the meeting through this link. The first event will be next Friday. 

“We want to make sure that we continue fostering conversations in the school even if we are not in person,” co-chair of student voice committee Megha Saravanan said. 

 As the school year progresses, the concept of social-emotional and mental health become more important to address. The new normal has brought many changes and stress to students as they adapt to e-learning. 

“E-learning has affected my mental, social, and emotional health especially now since I don’t have as many resources to go to, unlike in school when I had people to talk to when something goes wrong,” senior Alex Aguirre said.

One of the Student Voice Committee goals is to cater meetings to relevant topics for students. 

“This will be a safe environment where students can talk about their opinion and how e-learning is going for them,” senior social media director of the Student Voice Committee Drushya Musham said. “We want to facilitate a safe discussion where students from all educational levels can communicate and come up with better ways to go about e-learning.” 

As the uncertainty of returning to in-person learning arises, so does the topic of how will students keep up with their coursework after continuous months of remote learning. 

“There was really a need for a conversation about this,” co-chair Tami Gordon said. “The topic was popular among students and we found it necessary to facilitate a conversation so we can bridge a gap between students and teachers.” 

Students including Aguirre often feel sheltered from expressing their opinions as they know that the teachers do not have a definite answer on when the regular school year will resume. 

“I go through academic stress a lot and especially this year because now I have to think about colleges and trying to pass this year and not fall behind,” Aguirre said. 

With this conversation, students will be able to come together to address their concerns and complaints in order to make the e-learning process better for them. With this takeaway, they can determine if it is necessary to bring this discussion to the teachers, administrators, or counselors.

“Our goal is to have a  better understanding of what teachers can do better to support the students, and what the students can do better to support the teachers,” co-chair of the student voice committee Shriman Gupta said.