The Accommodation Trap

For 12 years, students are conditioned to believe that once you've got that cap and gown, you have made it. With Diploma in hand, you are now ready to face the world and strut along to college in a happily ever after sequence befitting of a High School Musical ending scene. But what no one really tells you is that life after graduation isn't so straightforward nor glamorous, especially when you're graduating in the middle of a global pandemic.

In late March of 2020, The United States, as well as 100 other countries around the globe, shut down entirely to fight back against the rampant spread of COVID-19 (or the Coronavirus, as it is so frequently called). Since then, seniors such as myself have had the never before seen struggle. Which was managing college plans completely virtual, navigating online courses, preparing for new AP exam formats, all while trying not to let the death of our senior year get to us too much.

The Accommodation trap is a side effect of Covid-19, it convinces educators and administrators that the best way to deal with a problem is to take it by the horns.

My school, American Heritage, was more than accommodating, which isn't exactly normal for the test score-driven school. Heritage decided that students would have 30-minute classes and meet twice a week, offering office hours for extra help. However, while this was meant to help kids, we, as well as many other students nationwide, fell into the accommodation trap.

The Accommodation trap is a side effect of Covid-19, it convinces educators and administrators that the best way to deal with a problem is to take it by the horns. Consequently, the Accommodation trap discourages students from reporting concerns or constructive criticism to their educators because 'they're doing so much' and students resort to self-blame more than anything.

It was overwhelming, I was drowning in busy work while I was trying to maintain my mental health

If there was one thing I could tell my school, it's that, just because you reduce class lecture times, offer office hours, and praise yourselves for hosting "Wellness Wednesday", doesn't necessarily mean you're helping students. One thing I saw time and time again, the onslaught of homework, projects, and essays being assigned.

It was overwhelming, I was drowning in busy work while I was trying to maintain my mental health by going outside, reading a book, heck spending time with family. Not to mention, when it came to AP's, I was scared, petrified even. With so much work, I had little time to prepare in the learning style that was best suited for me. Thus, I was at risk of losing college credits that could not only help me next year but significantly reduce my cost as well.

In terms of college, I felt as though honestly, that once Covid-19 happened, my guidance counselors dipped. They were more focused on the rising seniors and how they would get in their standardized test scores and what the new application process would look like. While I commend them for taking action on that arising issue, I also forgive me for sounding selfish, feel left behind.

Teachers need to be more than just aware, they have to be willing

When it came to registering for classes, paying deposits, comparing schools, and narrowing down my decisions, I had little to no communication with my guidance counselor. Maybe it was on me, yet I always wonder what it would look like if my school was as active on Seniors post-high school as they were on other things...

Schools are aware, I will give them that. But what they fail to grasp is that sometimes, leaving students alone is the best course of action. Educators don't have to try and fill in the gap by flooding us with work, nor do they have to force us to communicate with our classmates about our struggles. The number of times my teachers had inadvertently flared up my social anxiety during a group call is astronomical.

I think, personally, that Teachers need to be more than just aware, they have to be willing. Boundaries are essential, but when we pressure students to cough up their internal and family struggle in a zoom call, you're not fixing the problem; instead, you're making it worse.