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When asked about learning during the pandemic, most Notre Dame students Memories of the HERE campaign.What comes to mind might be racing for quietness Find it in a busy home or log into a Zoom class from your locked South Bend hotel room. You might remember the green markers dotting your quadriceps and the apocalyptic feeling of stopping for a nasal swab on your way to your final exam.

At the height of COVID, the Notre Dame bubble was less permeable than usual. It was a glimpse into the learning experience. Last spring, in Professor Brendan O’Shaughnessy’s research reporting class, her classmate Chloe Stafford ’23 and I reported on trends in absenteeism in the city of South Bend. What we find is that K-12 schools have been completely transformed by the pandemic, with students and adults struggling to reconnect after her over a year of distance learning.

numbers They themselves told a dramatic story. South Bend public school students were chronically absent. Returning to face-to-face classes did not solve the problem. but, Over the course of the semester, reports on this issue have given us perspectives that statistics alone cannot. Systemic inequality was a major problem in South Bend, making it difficult for many students to attend classes long before COVID began.These inequalities are Faced. Overall, however, interviewees said social learning and the opportunity to be with friends were also a big part of the equation.

Looking back on the story, the anecdote of how the children’s social lives changed remains in my mind. Parents said their children were craving less restricted time with friends, and teachers spoke of a surge in demand for extracurricular activities. , didn’t even have the chance to play on the elementary school basketball team, go to the middle school dance, or even sit with friends in class.

Talking with education professionals during debriefing Schools and students have been affected by the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is a symptom of a bigger problem. Because many students don’t want to go to school and learn every day. In order to solve the missing student problem, the school needs to excite the students to come to school.

Currently, K-12 public schools across the country are suffering from teacher shortages.Curriculum Culture Wars and the COVID Era learning lossAll these issues are important, but above all,

Students should be enthusiastic about learning. To face the many post-pandemic challenges, schools need to understand what makes children excited to come to school. Schools also need to ensure that students, and teachers for that matter, have the tools they need to grow and thrive, from mental health care and free meals to relevant classes and culture clubs. I have.

We started reporting, wondering why South Bend students had such a high absentee rate. We’re done with a more complex understanding of what our students need and what they’re missing since schools closed in March 2020. Reporting on schools in South Bend has given me a new perspective on what learning has been like since the pandemic began. It has helped teachers understand the myriad of challenges facing teachers today. showed me

Journalism has the power to help us look outside ourselves and disrupt our assumptions about the world and each other. While faced with a difficult return to school, South Bend students faced parallel challenges. Without exception, COVID has changed the face of school for students, from kindergarten to college. Reporting this article has made me more curious about our neighboring community in South Bend and all the stories of the pandemic that could change the way we think about learning.