Opinion: Students are Still Students

On March 24, residence halls at Albion College were closed, forcing all remaining students on campus to return home. Cultural differences between student life and home life are now clashing together, creating a strain for many students. For some, it’s easy to close their doors and get a little peace and quiet for a well needed study session. For others, returning home means that chores and home responsibilities picked right up where they left off. 

Just like students, parents and guardians are having a hard time adjusting to this new style of learning. Families often have the idea that because their loved one is home, time home is similar to an extended break. 

Well, it is not.

“The online class situation is a tough process,” said Domonic McDonald, a sophomore  from Albion, Mich. “Me, I am a tactile learner, meaning I do most of my learning hands-on, rather than reading and studying alone.”

Online class is a new concept that students are getting used to, and they now have the additional struggle of having to settle back into the ways they live their lives at home.

“This situation has thrown a curveball in my routine, and it takes a conscious effort to attempt to take a swing at the online curriculum, said McDonald, “I feel like I have to relearn how to ‘college’ again because of this, but I will prevail through it.”

All over Twitter, students are speaking out about the fact that their workloads at home are more difficult than they are at school. With less face-to-face instruction, they are having trouble learning the material more independently. For students who did not want to come home in order to avoid home drama and responsibilities that would be waiting for them at the door,  this is especially frustrating.

It is important to get the message out to parents and guardians that students are still in school mode. Students should not be put under unnecessary pressures just because they are seen in their rooms at home  instead of over video chat in their dorm rooms. Despite a change in location, there has not been a change in workload or school-related responsibilities.

Instead of trying to make babysitters, maids and assistants out of students during this time of quarantine, students should receive more social support, understanding and space while they continue to finish out the semester.