Lack of social interaction is tough, but in COVID era it’s a temporary necessity

GUEST COMMENTARY /// Distance learning diary



Bruce Caballero

Bruce Caballero

Editor’s note: The following is the first installment in a series of monthly columns providing a perspective on distance learning from a local student.

School is something that is very important to kids. It is a place where children can interact and socialize while learning in a safe environment.

As a junior in Monte Vista’s independent study program, I have always enjoyed seeing my teacher every week and talking to classmates during labs. But since the outbreak of COVID-19, it’s been difficult to do these things.

Socializing on campus is a very important part of growing up. It allows students to experience how to talk with people, work in teams and find groups that interest them.

The coronavirus has impeded students from having any in-person interactions with our friends and teachers. On top of that, now we can barely go out and properly socialize in places like movie theaters or shopping malls.

My experience with all of this is a little different, since my school doesn’t work the same way that most regular schools do. I go to Monte Vista, which is an independent study school within the Simi Valley Unified School District that allows students to study from home to complete their academic credits. Students in the independent learning academy have the freedom and flexibility to learn at their own pace while following a school curriculum. They are given a week to complete five hours of each of the subjects appointed to them. By the end of the week they should have completed and turned in at least 30 hours of work.

Before coming to Monte Vista, I would just do traditional home schooling. But ever since my parents discovered Monte Vista, we just fell in love with its system. Since I do a lot of extracurricular activities, Monte Vista allows me to be flexible with my schooling. It also allows me to advance whenever I want. And in case I fall behind, I can catch up without my grade being affected.

Since Monte Vista mainly revolves around learning from home, many people might assume students enrolled there barely have any in-person interactions. That’s not always true. Although we do learn from home, for the most part, we still have to go to campus to do labs and see our teacher(s) once a week. For example, our school’s principal, Stephen Pietrolungo, set up a Study Café to help students feel connected to the campus. It is a room where students can come and go as they please and study, read books and talk together. Teachers also offer math and English labs where students can come and ask for help if there’s something they don’t understand about their lessons.

Although socializing is not the main point of our school, we still have a lot of it, which is why the coronavirus is affecting us all. Now we can’t go out and see our friends at the Study Café, we can’t go into our classrooms and interact with our teachers and fellow classmates, and that makes it very difficult for us. We can’t even physically confer with our teachers about things we’re not understanding. Because of COVID, all of these aspects of interactive learning are restricted to video calls. The virus is affecting our daily lives by destroying any chance we have at having a normal social life.

It’s frustrating and exasperating. Believe me, I’m getting tired of waking up and staying home all day. I wish I could go to the park to play with my friends, see my teacher in person or even go to the Study Café and meet new people. But what we have to understand is that this is for our own safety and for the safety of others.

We’re making this sacrifice because we want this quarantine to be over so that we can continue having what’s left of a normal life. Every day being in quarantine helps people and yourself not catch or spread the virus, and by not catching and spreading the virus, the sooner you get to go see your friends and do the activities that you did before. Stay safe everyone. And remember, it’s only temporary.

Bruce Caballero is a junior at Monte Vista Independent Learning Academy in Simi Valley.