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By: Calvin Westin

SF Students hold signs in solidarity and support of the Third World Liberation Front 2016, the name of the court students on a hunger strike to defend the SF State College of Ethnic Studies, during an emergency press conference in the Quad Monday, May 9. (Melissa Minton) via Wikimedia Commons

Ethnic studies was created during the longest strike in United States history at San Francisco State College to include marginalized groups and to re-enroll a student who was suspended for political speech. The strike lasted 80+ days and brought many different people from different backgrounds together, for example: Black, Asian, Latinx students, the Black Panther Party, the Third World Liberation Front, and many more. This strike led to the spread of ethnic studies across the country. The strike reformed the curriculum where white culture was dominant and changed how American colleges showed diversity.

At Highland Park Senior High School, Critical Ethnic Studies is taking these ideas and making them real for us right now. Instead of just reading out of a textbook, we get to see the actual stories of people from our communities whether that’s local, statewide, or internationally. In a city where 50% of the population belongs to minority groups, it is important that the things we do in school are current and reflect our communities. We learn about indigenous people in Minnesota, the history of Rondo, and the struggles of Hmong and Somali families who moved here. It’s different from a regular history class because it focuses on the deeper parts of history. We learn about systematic racism but also how people have practiced resistance against it.

This class at Highland Park is helping us become better at thinking for ourselves instead of just memorizing things. For example, we look at the 1969 San Francisco college strike and connect it to things that are happening in our world today. It also makes you realize that speaking up is important and your voice matters and that you can be part of making a change. By focusing on marginalized groups, the class shows us that all history is worth learning. It is one of the only classes where you can see and compare yourself in the lessons and understand how you and your family fits into the history of the US. Critical Ethnic Studies is not just about learning the past but instead it’s giving us the opportunity to understand our own lives and respect the people who came before us.

By: Weston Halgunseth

Introduction

A few months ago, in St. Paul, classrooms shifted from desks and whiteboards to beds and sleep. This change sparked a huge debate. While some students thrive in a digital space, others find themselves struggling with online learning. In my view, the overall effect of online learning on students is that it is mostly good but a lot of it gives a bit too much leeway.

The good of online learning

Online learning has some great benefits that help students feel better. You can sleep much more because you don’t have to wake up early to catch a bus or be in school on time. This helps you feel rested and gives you more energy to focus on your lessons, unlike what normally happens where you feel fatigued for the first 20-30 minutes of class. You usually have more time to finish your tasks so you don’t feel as much stress. You can learn at your own speed instead of trying to keep up with a fast teacher.

The bad side of online learning

Online learning has some good parts but it also has problems. It is hard to try your best when no one is watching you and it is easy to forget your assignments without the teachers reminding you. If you get stuck you have to wait for an email instead of getting help right away. It is also lonely because you don’t see your friends at lunch or in the halls making it so your social skill starts to go down. Because students feel alone and bored they don’t learn as well and their grades often go down. Even though computers are helpful, being in a real classroom is usually better for most people.

My own experience

Back in 2020, when COVID was a big thing, I was stuck at home for a year and in that time I experienced a lot of the things I talked about such as the lack of motivation, loneliness feeling, less stress, and grades dropping. In that year, I’ve noticed that my knowledge with most of the stuff I learned before the online classes was really rusty and foggy and it took me a bit to catch up to where I should be in math, science, etc. Like in math, when I got back, I was struggling bad and didn’t get a hang of it until I started getting help after school from friends.

I also noticed that online learning made it hard to keep my friends. A lot of my friends I had in 5th grade I lost when I came back because I hadn’t talked to them for a year or so, and overall online learning wasn’t the best experience for me. It ruined my ability to socialize, my knowledge went down and a lot more.

The verdict

The shift to online learning is a double edged sword. On the positive side the ability to sleep in and the freedom of more time to submit assignments greatly reduces my and many others stress allowing students to learn subjects at a pace that actually works for them.

However, these benefits are often ruined by the lack of motivation and hands-on help. Without socializing, students feel alone and lonely which can lead to a grade drop and people getting less educated because they aren’t truly engaged. Ultimately, while the flexibility is great online learning only works if we can find a way to bring back the social and strictness sides of a physical classroom.