South Bay students struggle to bounce back after pandemic plunge

As we pass the third anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no secret that students have been greatly affected across the United States. Researchers note historic learning setbacks compared with math and reading test scores before the pandemic.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, math and reading scores in spring 2022 saw their most significant drop on record.

John Schmitt, a 51-year-old math teacher at Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, said the pandemic derailed the educational system in the U.S. “I think what COVID did was it drove further inequalities in our system,” Schmitt said.

He saw students with parents who weren’t always present at home facing more struggles during distance learning. “The parents couldn’t be chasing the kids on their homework because the parents were working night jobs,” Schmitt said.

Irene Castillon, a 36-year-old history teacher and assistant principal of academics at Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, saw these structural inequalities as well.

She said there would be times when students wouldn’t log in to their Zoom classes. “I do not blame them for not coming to class — because they’re needed for something else at that moment. Because of the structural inequalities that existed that prevented their families from going to work, for example,” she said.

These struggles also affected the mental health of students, and students often didn’t ask for support.

Cesar Murillo Alvarez, a 15-year-old student at San Jose High School, was one of those students.

“I never really had the courage to unmute my mic and speak in front of the class,” Murillo said. “And that’s probably one of the main reasons why I struggled.”

“I see a lot more need for trauma-informed instruction, because a global pandemic is traumatic, right?” Castillon said. “The one thing that I’m seeing is different triggers, things that did not used to be triggering for some students are now triggering.” For example, she said stress from homework affected the mental health of many students because it was often hard to keep their grades up during distance learning.

Nicklas Chui, a 16-year-old student at Santa Clara High School, was one of the many students who tried to overcome the challenges of distance learning. “I felt no motivation to do anything, and it was really hard to do assignments because I had no motivation,” Chui said.

“My grades definitely did take a hit,” he said.

One class where Chui struggled to stay engaged was art class. “I remember that during distance learning, I would either be playing games or sleeping throughout my class and just doing all the assignments like the hour before it was due,” Chui said.

Teachers tried to provide more support during distance learning.

“They tried their best to make class feel normal,” Chui said of his teachers at Santa Clara High School. “They’re very charismatic. Their energy really helped make getting through distance learning a lot easier.”

Many students now are moving into recovery from the pandemic.

Laura Griffin, a 26-year-old academic counselor at Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, said students are more open to asking their teachers for help.

“Which is beautiful,” she said. “Talking, advocating and advocating with your teachers … talking with your teachers or other staff to help you instead of having to just do it on your own and online.”

Cristo Rey offers a support tool known as Scholar Hour, where students are able to ask for help with assignments after school.

Even with programs like the Scholar Hour, Lissandro Madrigal Gonzalez, 17, thinks offering more teacher-to-student support will help students as they get back on track.

“Import more things like Scholar Hour, tutoring, and show students that these opportunities are given to them to succeed,” Madrigal suggested.

While there’s still a lot of recovery ahead, some students have already seen a difference in their academic performance.

Santa Clara High’s Chui credits the support he is receiving at his school. “I’m definitely a lot more on top of my work, and I don’t have that many late assignments compared to when I was doing distance learning, and I really enjoy my classes now,” Chui said.

Scarlett Lopez-Rodriguez is a junior at Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School.