BARUCH COLLEGE– When COVID-19 gripped the country in March 2020, classes at M.S. 158 Marie Curie Middle School in Queens became virtual. Britney Segarra, a sixth-grader at the time, was confined to the four mint-blue walls of her room.
Instead of friends and classmates, she was surrounded by the pink stuffed animals on her bed. Instead of a teacher, she learned from a laptop screen. Not only was it hard for her to focus, but a lack of homework and individual attention caused her to struggle.
Now in eighth grade, Britney is excited to be back at school in person. However, the return also came with the realization that she didn’t learn much of anything last year. Without the necessary foundation of seventh-grade material, facing advanced classes has proved to be an unforeseen challenge.
