Enriching Education: What Do Kids Miss About In-Person Learning?

 This year's Back-to-School Month of August is filled with firsts as many students prepare to learn remotely, and I have a data-driven idea story about survey results revealing the unexpected things US students said they miss most about full-time in-person learning. 

As we head into the new school year, Brainly, the largest global online learning and homework help community, surveyed over 3,000 U.S. students (in middle and high school) and some interesting insights were revealed. 

While it’s no surprise 72% of students agree the #1 thing they miss most is seeing friends, some of the other results were more unconventional…

• Nearly 15% said they miss the fluorescent lighting and class desks, and almost 13% said they miss gym class the most.
• Roughly 11% said their most-missed routine school activity is group projects, while about 9% said it is the morning announcements and pledge of allegiance, and over 8% said it is getting books in/out of their lockers. 
• The school location/area students miss spending time in most is classrooms (20%).
• Students’ most-missed common school activities and occurrences include:
  • Organized school sports (15.9%)
  • Passing notes to friends during class (10.8%)
  • Getting an A+ on an assignment (10.8%)
  • When the bell rings and it’s time to switch classes (9.1%)  
• Alarmingly, 47.3% of students ranked their stress level as extreme (27.6%) or severe (19.7%) regarding the upcoming school year in comparison to past school years.

“With the shift to online learning and hybrid learning, students are realizing they miss many of the things they previously took for granted and complained about during the regular school year. One silver lining from the pandemic is that American students’ will likely experience a renewed sense of appreciation for their teachers and gratitude for the opportunity to go to school everyday,” says Patrick Quinn, parenting expert at Brainly. 

I had a chance to interview Patrick Quinn, Parenting Expert at Brainly, to learn more

Some of the things students miss are no surprise, but why would students miss things like the pledge or fluorescent lighting?

While it may not be surprising that the thing students miss most about being in school is seeing their friends, some of the other findings were surprising, like the fact that students even miss their classrooms, fluorescent lighting, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Students likely appreciate the routine their in-classroom instruction brings them: getting to school at the same time every day, morning announcements in homeroom, lunch at the same time every day with their friends, and the overall familiarity and comfort of knowing exactly what lies ahead each day. Part of that comforting school routine includes the classrooms, the desks, and yes -- even the fluorescent lighting. Now that most students are learning from home, they’re finding that they miss and appreciate these things more than they’d ever realized. 

How can parents provide some routines, whatever their school is doing, to help ease into the school year?

Parents can make sure their students have a routine set each day-- knowing what they’ll be learning, studying, or practicing, and when. Even having a specific time carved out for their lunch break each day will help many students feel some sense of normalcy during these different times.

If kids are stressed about the upcoming school year, what are some things that parents can do?

The best thing parents can do for their children during these unprecedented times of starting a new school year with online classes is to create and maintain as much of a regular routine and schedule as possible. This will also help students stay on track and become more accustomed to learning from home. Setting up scheduled break times between classes, a set daily time to have lunch, or scheduling “recess” (AKA a walk outdoors) into their calendar will also help them feel like the school day is more normal even though they’re at home. In addition, it’s more important than ever to ensure students are getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating healthy. This will help mediate stress and keep students feeling good.

For more information, visit www.brainly.com.