motivational speech on covid 19 for students

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2 Minute Speech on Covid-19 (CoronaVirus) for Students

The year, 2019, saw the discovery of the coronavirus illness, Covid-19 . The pandemic affected the whole world. COVID-19 devastated millions of people, either they fell unwell or passed away due to the sickness. The most common symptoms of this viral illness include a high temperature, cough, bone pain, and difficulties with the respiratory system. In addition to these symptoms, patients infected with the coronavirus could also feel weariness, a sore throat, muscular discomfort, and a loss of taste or smell.

10 Lines Speech on COVID-19 for Students

Humans created the Coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China, where it first appeared.

The first confirmed case of the Coronavirus was found in India in January in the year 2020.

Protecting ourselves against the coronavirus is essential by covering our mouths and noses with masks when we cough or sneeze to prevent the infection from spreading.

We must constantly wash our hands with antibacterial soap and face masks to protect ourselves.

To ensure our safety, the government ordered the whole nation's closure to halt the virus's spread.

The virus forced study classes to be taken online, as schools and institutions were shut down.

Due to COVID-19, everyone was instructed to stay indoors throughout the lockdown.

During this period, everyone spent a lot of time playing games with their family members.

Even though the cases of COVID-19 are a lot less now, we should still take precautions.

Short 2-Minute Speech on Covid 19 for Students

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 , causes a severe illness. Those who are exposed to it become sick in their lungs. A brand-new virus is having a devastating effect throughout the globe. It's being passed from person to person via social interaction.

The first instance of COVID-19 was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China . The World Health Organization proclaimed the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It has now reached every country in the globe. Droplets produced by an infected person's cough or sneeze might infect those nearby.

The severity of Covid-19 symptoms varies widely. Symptoms aren't always present. The typical symptoms are high temperatures, a dry cough, and difficulty breathing. COVID-19 individuals also exhibit other symptoms such as weakness, a sore throat, muscular soreness, and a diminished sense of smell and taste.

Many countries have produced COVID-19 vaccination but the effect of it is different for every individual. The only treatment then is to avoid contracting in the first place. We can accomplish that by following these protocols—

Put on a mask to hide your face. Use soap and hand sanitiser often to keep germs at bay.

Keep a distance of 5 to 6 feet at all times.

Never put your fingers in your mouth or nose.

Long 2-Minute Speech on Covid 19 for Students

As students, we need to understand the gravity of the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on our communities and the world at large. In this speech, I will discuss real-world examples of the effects of the pandemic and its impact on various aspects of our lives.

Impact on the Economy | The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy. We have seen how businesses have been forced to close their doors, leading to widespread job loss and economic hardship. Many individuals and families have been struggling to make ends meet, and this has led to a rise in poverty and inequality.

Impact on Healthcare Systems | The pandemic has also put a strain on healthcare systems around the world. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients, and healthcare workers have been stretched to their limits. This has highlighted the importance of investing in healthcare systems and ensuring they are prepared for future crises.

Impact on Education | The pandemic has also affected the education system, with schools and universities being closed around the world. This has led to a shift towards online learning and the use of technology to continue education remotely. However, it has also highlighted the digital divide, with many students from low-income backgrounds faced difficulties in accessing online learning.

Impact on Mental Health | The pandemic has not only affected our physical health but also our mental health. We have seen how the isolation and uncertainty caused by the pandemic have led to an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression. We must take care of our mental health and support each other during this difficult time.

Real-life Story of a Student

John is a high school student who was determined to succeed despite the struggles brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

John's school closed down in the early days of the pandemic, and he quickly found himself struggling to adjust to online learning. Without the support of in-person classes, John found it difficult to stay focused and motivated. He also faced challenges at home, as his parents were both essential workers and were often not available to help him with his schoolwork.

Despite these struggles, John refused to let the pandemic defeat him. He made a schedule for himself, to stay on top of his assignments and set goals for himself. He also reached out to his teachers for additional support, and they were more than happy to help.

John also found ways to stay connected with his classmates and friends, even though they were physically apart. They formed a study group and would meet regularly over Zoom to discuss their assignments and support each other.

Thanks to his hard work and determination, John was able to maintain good grades and even improve in some subjects. He graduated high school on time and was even accepted into his first-choice college.

John's story is a testament to the resilience and determination of students everywhere. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, he was able to succeed and achieve his goals. He shows us that with hard work, determination, and support, we can overcome even the toughest of obstacles.

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We Appeared in

Student Voices

June 20, 2021, 10:49 p.m.

High school senior delivers "Class of COVID" graduation speech

Editor's note: Anne Laurie Pierre is one of three students from Massachusetts profiled in " COVID and the Classroom ,” a project by Boston public media outlet GBH News. The Everett High senior lost her father to COVID-19 and helped her mother battle both the virus and leukemia. The project's finale “ Class of COVID " debuts on Monday, June 21 at 7:30-pm ET. Pierre will join a panel discussion following the half hour retrospective, which streams for a national audience on Facebook live and YouTube . Read Pierre's high school's graduation speech here:

2021 Warriors

Good evening class of 2021, administrators, faculty, and loved ones. My name is Anne Laurie Pierre and I am the senior president here at Everett High school. Before I begin, I’d like for everyone here to give a big round of applause to the teachers, school faculty, city leaders and everyone who had a hand in our curriculum, educational funds, and activities.

I am truly honored to be standing here in front of the class who I refer to as Warriors, so please give YOURSELVES a round of applause.

The years 2019 through 2021 have been a blessing yet a curse. People have lost opportunities, homes, jobs, and even loved ones in a span of a couple of months while being forced to stay indoors with our thoughts, and it was hard. It was mentally exhausting. Throughout that time, some people coped by picking up a new hobby, such as making jewelry, art pieces and so much more, but also many people battled with their inner thoughts and family circumstances causing them to lose all types of motivation, develop depression, and even self-destruct.

...we acknowledge that Black people shouldn’t be killed for jogging, wearing a hoodie, sleeping in their own homes or just SIMPLY BEING BLACK.

And it amazes me how the same individuals I’m talking about are here today, sitting right in front of me ready to step into the next chapter of their lives, still fighting on the battlefield. YOU should be very proud of yourself, my peers.

We were hit with this unexpectancy before we even had the chance to put up our armor, and it was perplexing— but the same warrior mentality we had throughout this whole pandemic to keep pushing and grinding is the same mentality we will need when we enter the real world.

As a Black activist, I can say that I am truly proud of my generation— the millennials and the Xennials, might think that we were a reckless and rebellious generation and I agree, we are, but that’s only because we know our worth, we acknowledge that Black people shouldn’t be killed for jogging, wearing a hoodie, sleeping in their own homes or just SIMPLY BEING BLACK. We understand that innocent Asian elderly shouldn’t be beaten or mistreated for a pandemic they had NOTHING to do with—

Because of OUR voice we are seeing the change that should have been in place a LONG time ago and that is something we should be proud of.

Before I end my speech, I would like to present a gift to Everett public schools on behalf of the class of 2021. You have been supportive, thoughtful and unwavering in your support for us.

I’d like to thank the teachers and leaders in my life that pushed me to be the best version of myself. Thank you for always having faith in me and speaking success into my life. Your words are something I will take with me to Howard and the rest of my path.

Some people ask me how am I still pushing through despite all the challenges I’ve faced and I’m telling you now, it’s by the Grace of the lovely God that I serve. I can promise you that if it wasn’t for the strength that He gives me— my lovely mother, a survivor, wouldn’t be amongst the others in the crowd today. That’s a true warrior right there.

RELATED: Mom Coming Home (Anne Laurie Pierre Video Diary)

So today I ask you all to be Warriors, be conquerors of your trials and tribulations, and rejoice in your victory here today.

Finally, I’d like to close out by saying, JUSTICE FOR Breonna Taylor, Junito Falcon, Daunte Wright, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Jacob Azevedo, Vincent Chin, Oluwatoyin Salau, Mikayla Miller, and many other lives that were lost due to discrimination of race, gender, and religion. Congratulations Class of 2021. Thank you.

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My Get Up and Go Got Up and Went

• Posted May 10, 2021
• By Andrew Bauld
• Counseling and Mental Health
• Disruption and Crises
• Social Emotional Learning
• Student Achievement and Outcomes
• Teachers and Teaching

EVERYONE KNEW learning during a pandemic wouldn’t be easy, but could we have guessed it would be quite this hard?

Schools are still battling everything from poor internet service to low attendance. Parents are overwhelmed in homes that have also become workplaces and classrooms. Teachers are demoralized. And students are exhausted, burned out after hours of online classes, and that is if they even show up at all.

The result is students — and teachers — who have lost so much of what used to keep them motivated. Without the ballast of most extracurricular activities like athletics, drama, and band to keep them engaged, many students lost the motivation this year to turn in homework or turn on cameras during remote lessons. Teachers are burnt out, many discouraged by not keeping up with curriculum standards and constantly having to find new ways to keep their students invested in their learning.

Some schools have gone back, but with a return to “normal” school unlikely for many districts until the fall of 2021, teachers and students are having to find new ways to stay motivated to learn during a school year unlike any other.

The Science of Motivation

Abigail Williamson, Ed.M.’15, teaches English Language Development on Martha’s Vineyard. Her middle school students are brand new to the United States, working hard to learn a new language, many of them also taking care of younger siblings at home during remote learning while their parents are at work.

But for five minutes every day, students put aside the challenges they are facing and turn on their favorite song. Some students don sunglasses or fun hats, others grab stuffed animals to join them onscreen for their class DJ Dance Party.

“I wanted to give the kids jobs to keep them engaged and give them some ownership,” says Williamson. “The dance party offers some lightness and fun, but I believe also contributes to our strong attendance and participation.”

Especially during these stressful times, it is important for teachers to think about how students are doing not only academically but also emotionally, and to find ways to inject joy into their lessons.

Christina Hinton, Ed.M.’06, Ed.D.’12, founder and CEO of Research Schools International, which partners with schools to carry out collaborative research, says lessons like the DJ Dance Party can make a huge impact for students.

“There’s a misconception that learning can either be rigorous or fun. That’s not what we’re finding in our research,” Hinton says. “The more they are flourishing and happy, the better, on average, students are doing academically.”

Happy students are also motivated ones. Research has found that motivation is driven by a combination of a person’s earliest experiences and innate biological factors. According to a recent report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, there are two types of motivation: one that seeks out pleasure (known as approach motivation) and the other that avoids danger (known as avoidance motivation).

Both of these types of motivation develop early in childhood, and both are influenced by intrinsic (like a child’s desire to explore or master a skill) and extrinsic factors (external validation from grades or awards). A healthy motivation system is one built on intrinsic drivers supported by positive extrinsic feedback.

For teachers and parents, there are many ways to encourage motivation. Activities like the DJ Dance Party that provide children space for playful exploration help fuel intrinsic motivation. Activities that appropriately challenge students are also great, but they must be carefully selected as students will lose motivation when an activity is too hard or too easy. Students are also more motivated when they feel a sense of ownership over their work.

These types of activities can also spur in students a sense of curiosity, another good driver of motivation. Ed School associate professor and cognitive research scientist Elizabeth Bonawitz says that curiosity is a core drive that all human beings are born with.

“It’s a drive like hunger or thirst, and it can get us learning very rapidly,” Bonawitz says. Under particularly stressful environments, however, say like during a global pandemic, the body must balance all its needs. “Do I have time to be curious or am I worried about my next meal, or if grandma is going to get sick? If you’re under a lot of duress, you don’t have time to indulge your curiosity,” so actively finding ways to encourage curiosity in the classroom is so important.

Williamson came up with the idea for the dance party at the beginning of this unusual school year, trying to think of ways to replicate traditional classroom management techniques for online learning. Some of her more hesitant learners were hooked from the beginning. Besides the opportunity to get up and move around, it also provided students a chance to show a bit about their personalities, connect over shared interests, and extend their learning, since the songs they choose have connections to the vocabulary they are learning.

Williamson says this break in the day has also given her a unique insight into her students. In her first year at a new school, Williamson says she was initially worried about building connections with students she had never met, but she says the same theories for building community when in-person apply to remote learning.

“Their creativity in activities like the dance party motivates me to find more ways to let them express their personalities,” Williamson says. “I ask students about their lives and listen and incorporate that into my lessons. You can have deep relationships with students even online.”

Find New Ways to Connect

Those relationships are a critical component of motivation. As Bonawtiz has found in her research, humans are social beings with minds designed to learn from other people. When students lose those important relationships with teachers and peers, they are far less likely to be motivated to learn.

The pandemic and remote learning have seriously disrupted those important connections, resulting in huge numbers of students losing the motivation to even show up for virtual classes, let alone participate. Bellwether Education Partners, an education nonprofit, estimates that between 1 million and 3 million U.S. students haven’t attended school since pandemic-related school closures began in March 2020, hitting high-risk groups including homeless students and children with disabilities particularly hard. And there is no silver bullet to solving the problem. Sruti Sriram is a current Ed School student and teaches English to 11th- and 12th-graders at a boarding school in Pune, India. Sriram says her school has tried different ways to keep students engaged, trying to find a balance between learning models. While there was early success with each new attempt, student engagement would inevitably drop off.

Sriram says from her own positive experience as a student in her Ed School classes, she has been inspired to be more intentional using tools like virtual breakout rooms to build relationships. She’s also recognized that, this year especially, the emphasis needs to be on how students are doing emotionally, not just academically.

“My students are going through so much at home. I’ve realized how important it is for students to feel supported in the classroom before I can harangue them about incomplete homework or give them a lot of corrections,” she says. “That’s always been true, but in remote learning it’s an even more apparent reminder that the job is to care for the whole student.”

Even during normal times, these relationships are important to academic development. During the pandemic, they are crucial. Research has shown that when teachers can build a good rapport with their students, those students are more motivated to do well in school. To build that rapport, students need to believe that their teacher has a good sense of their abilities.

“It’s critical to learning that a teacher has an accurate understanding of their students,” says Bonawitz. “When a child thinks a teacher doesn’t have a good sense of their abilities, it totally shapes what kind of exploration and projects they think they can pursue.”

In one lab experiment, Bonawitz has found that when children as young as 6 think their teacher is overestimating their abilities, they will choose less challenging work, while if a teacher underestimates their abilities, they will seek work that might be too difficult for them.

With the pandemic removing much of the one-on-one time for students and teachers to get to know each other well, it’s important for teachers to find new ways to show their students they know them.

“Reciprocity is really critical to make sure there is maximum engagement,” Bonawitz says. “Regular feedback and mini-assessments can help so that students know the teacher is aware of their current place and the teacher is using that information for tailoring the learning.”

Hinton says making room to provide students extra emotional support this year is so important, and finding additional opportunities, like through virtual office hours, can make a big difference for students and teachers to build relationships while apart and maintain motivation.

Jill Goldberg, Ed.M.’93, credits her students staying motivated thanks to recognizing new ways of building relationships. Goldberg, who teaches sixth grade English language arts in upstate New York, says it was challenging at first teaching to static profile pictures of students or empty black rectangles because her district, like many across the county, does not require students to turn on cameras when remote.

But then students, some shy or just unwilling to turn their cameras on during full class activities, started to reach out in other ways. Many found their voice over email. Others requested private Zoom breakout meetings to connect between classes or after school, sometimes to talk about academic work, other times just to share something personal, like a pair of twins in her class excited to share news of a new pet.

“It’s wonderful how many kids are so much more comfortable and proficient and proactive in initiating contact” over digital platforms, Goldberg says. Remote learning has also given Goldberg and her students a change of pace to their normal in-person schedule that left little time in the day to connect. Now, students have breaks between periods and teachers can use that time for extra help sessions or just one-on- one check-ins.

Professor Jal Mehta isn’t surprised that some students and teachers are finding positives during remote learning. Mehta says that while traditional in-person school can be exhausting for students required to be “on” and engaged all day with teachers and peers, remote learning has given some students a chance to slow down. “Teachers have reported more contact and conversations with students and families. I think some people have experienced that there’s less rush and a chance to do things in more depth,” Mehta says.

Caring for the Adults in the Room

Of course, not everyone is finding remote learning a happy new environment. In November, the Education Week Research Center found that nearly 75% of teachers say their morale is lower than it was before the pandemic. Trying to learn new technology, keep students invested, and deal with the challenges of their own lives is leaving many teachers burnt out.

With teachers feeling dejected from not keeping up with curriculum standards or blaming themselves for students falling behind, Hinton says now it’s more important than ever for teachers to not only show compassion for their students but also for themselves.

“Teachers have to treat this as a totally different year and be patient with themselves,” she says. “A great rule of thumb for practicing self-compassion is to treat yourself the way you would treat a best friend.”

That change in mentality was important for Ian Malmstrom, Ed.M.’10, a middle school history teacher and athletic director in Illinois.

“The most discouraging thing was realizing I wasn’t going to accomplish as much as I have in past years. That bothered me at first, the feeling I wasn’t doing as well as a teacher. But putting that stress on myself wasn’t going to work. I’ve accepted that,” Malmstrom says.

Malmstron isn’t alone. A survey by the RAND Corporation found in its American Educator Panels Survey in October that most classrooms are not proceeding at their normal pace, with 56% of teachers saying that they had covered half, or less than half, of their normal curriculum, and only 1 in 5 teachers saying they were on the same schedule as years past.

Rather than putting pressure on themselves to jam as much of the old curriculum into this year, experts like Mehta are advocating a “Marie Kondo” approach to curriculum, borrowing from the Japanese tidying expert. In his recent New York Times opinion piece, Mehta encourages teachers to accept a “less is more” attitude by “discarding the many topics that have accumulated like old souvenirs, while retaining essential knowledge and topics that spark joy.”

At her school in Providence, Rhode Island, academic dean Kaitlin Moran, Ed.M.’20, has worked with faculty and administrators to reduce their academic program to the most essential content and setting realistic learning goals. The school day itself has been shortened and longer blocks of instruction in subjects like math, science, and social studies have been shortened to accommodate students, including taking into account time spent on screens.

“I think what has helped students and teachers feel more motivated is by setting bite-size achievable goals that work towards a grade-level standard. As much as we can collaborate on best practices, that has also helped keep our team engaged and motivated,” Moran says.

To that end, Moran has also worked with teachers to implement targeted learning goals to address missed learning from the spring by having each student complete a diagnostic assessment, allowing teachers to know which areas of instruction to focus on to help close gaps. Not everything can simply be replaced virtually. One of the biggest losses since the pandemic hit has been extracurriculars. Malmstrom says athletics have been virtually nonexistent in Illinois since the start of the pandemic, and without them, many students have just given up.

“My students have just been starved for athletic opportunities,” Malmstrom says, citing several academically thriving students who have lost their motivation to do well in school. “We have more time, but people don’t have the desire to do as much as we used to. I have students who were mainly doing schoolwork to stay eligible for sports, and they’ve quit trying.”

Malmstrom and his colleagues have tried to find some replacements. In the fall, when the weather was nice, they started an afterschool running club, which had a great turnout of students eager to do any sort of outdoor activity. His school also launched a virtual chess club and quiz bowl team, offering online practices.

Malmstrom is realistic that these activities are only stopgaps until students can return to regular activities, but they have been helpful in keeping morale and motivation up.

“The students aren’t going to be interested in everything, but our hope is that each student can find something that engages him or her in addition to their regular classwork,” he says.

Eventually, the world will return to some new normal, and schools with it. While there are many challenges that students and teachers have faced during this year, there are some areas of remote learning that might endure.

Researchers like Mehta say the lessons learned during remote learning and the changes made to support students and teachers should spur an even greater effort to reimagine and rebuild schools.

“Schools weren’t working well for students pre-pandemic. To put things back exactly as they were is ignoring inequities and disengagement,” says Mehta.

When schools can be fully reopened, Mehta says leaders need to think about areas that helped keep students motivated this year and amplify them, including giving students greater agency over their learning and providing more time for teachers to connect with families.

“How do we create the space to do more of those things when we come back to regular school,” he says, “and what do we want to let go of to allow those things to grow? I think those are the questions I would ask everybody.”

Andrew Bauld, the communications coordinator at the Berkeley Carroll School in New York City, is a frequent contributor to Ed.

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The Coronavirus Crisis

Reflections on a lost senior year with hope for the future.

Diane Adame

Elissa Nadworny

East Ascension High School Valedictorian Emma Cockrum at her home in Prairieville, La., on June 1, 2020. Emily Kask for NPR hide caption

East Ascension High School Valedictorian Emma Cockrum at her home in Prairieville, La., on June 1, 2020.

Emma Cockrum was in her second week of quarantine when her father discovered an old bike behind their house.

And that bicycle turned out to be a gift: With school closed at East Ascension High School in Gonzales, La., bike riding for Emma became a way of coping with the loss of the rest of her senior year.

"I would say the first two to three weeks we were out of school, I was not the most fun person to be around. I was a ticking time bomb," says the 18-year-old, who's headed to Northwestern State University in the fall. "One minute, I would be fine and dandy, and then the next minute, I would be crying."

As she pedaled through her neighborhood each day, those bike rides forced her to stop and take in the world around her — and they became the inspiration behind these words in her valedictorian speech:

"I got to see life happening. I saw families spending time together, like children playing basketball on their driveways, or fathers teaching their own kids to ride bikes. When we stop to observe our surroundings, we are oftentimes provided with new perspectives on our situations."

Dear Class Of 2020: Graduation Messages From Frontline Workers

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many high school graduations to be replaced with virtual, drive-in and other alternative ceremonies. And so, the tradition of valedictorians and salutatorians addressing their classmates at this huge moment in their young lives is a little different this year.

NPR spoke with a few student leaders about their speeches and how a not-so-typical senior year inspired their words for the class of 2020.

Emma Cockrum

Valedictorian, East Ascension High School, Gonzales, La.

East Ascension High School Valedictorian Emma Cockrum with her dog Hercules in front of her old play house at her home in Prairieville, La. Emily Kask for NPR hide caption

East Ascension High School Valedictorian Emma Cockrum with her dog Hercules in front of her old play house at her home in Prairieville, La.

Aside from her bike rides, Cockrum was also inspired by a few words from Sol Rexius, a pastor at The Salt Company Church of Ames in Iowa. She says Rexius uses the analogy of a dump truck full of dirt being emptied all over their senior year. Here's how she put it in her address to her classmates:

This may sound harsh, but it's not untrue to how some of us feel. It is easy to feel buried by our circumstances. However, he [the pastor] goes on to paint a picture of a farmer planting a seed. Did the farmer bury the seed? Well, yes, but he also planted it. Instead of feeling buried by our situation, we must realize that the pain and heartache that has been piled upon us is not meant to bury, but to plant us in a way that will allow us to grow and prosper into who we are meant to be. As you stop and take in the circumstances around you, will you allow yourself to be buried or to be planted? 

As we move on from this place and embark on the next big journey of life, whether that's college, the workforce or something else, life will at some point begin to feel like it's going too fast. My bike rides have taught me a new way to handle these times because they allow me to exercise and be among the beauty of nature, which are things that cause me to slow down. When life becomes too much like a race for you, it may not be riding a bike. It may be playing an instrument, sport, creating art or something else entirely. I encourage you to find that one thing that allows you to unwind and refocus when life seems too much to handle.  Now, I'd like to take you on a bike ride with me as we share this experience together in our faces, something that is both exciting and terrifying: freedom. We sit atop our bikes of life as high school graduates and now have the freedom to choose who we are and where we will go.  

Salutatorian, Paducah Tilghman High School, Paducah, Ky.

Chua says he wanted to make his speech something that would provide some happiness to people, even if only be for a little while. Before offering some advice, he began his speech with a personal take on the famous line from Forrest Gump : "Life is like a box of chocolates."

"Life is like a fistful of Sour Patch Kids," Chua says in his speech, recorded on video from his home in Paducah. "Right now things are sour, but eventually they will turn sweet."

The sharing of knowledge is just as important as receiving it because, without sharing, knowledge has no value. The first piece of advice I want to share is to always try new things and challenge yourself, even if you think it's a bad idea in the process. Always attempt to answer questions and solve problems. Find new ways to do the same tasks. Wear all white to black out. Take that ridiculously difficult course load. Buy that oversized $30 pack of UNO that is literally impossible to shuffle just so you can say you own it. Just spend responsibly, kids. All in all, just make life spicy. Make life something you want to reminisce on.  The second lesson is simple. Just be nice to people. Trust sows the seeds of freedom, and a little respect truly does go a long way. It could even solve a few of the world's problems. You never know when you'll need to fall back on someone, so build strong connections early and maintain them.  Lastly, the phrase "I don't know" is powerful. By admitting ignorance, you are asking to learn. Inevitably, I know I will come upon a hard stop, and I hope that when I do, I'll remind myself to pause and ask for a hand of enlightenment, so that I might come back from that hard experience knowing more than when I started. Life rarely hands you a golden opportunity, so make one. Just as the tornado creates a path in the wake of its destruction, this class of 2020 will, too, create their own, hopefully without the whole destruction part.

Kimani Ross

Valedictorian, Lake City High School, Lake City, S.C.

Valedictorian Kimani Ross leads the Lake City High School parade through downtown Lake City, SC. Taylor Adams/SCNow hide caption

Ross says she wanted to remind her class that they can get through any obstacle. She recalls the adversities they've gone through together — like the death of a beloved coach — and the people that doubted her.

Ross says she'll attend North Carolina A&T State University in the fall, where she plans to study nursing.

Many people didn't, and probably still don't believe that I have worked hard enough to be where I am now. I've had people tell me that I don't deserve to be where I am now, and that really made me contemplate, "Do I really deserve this? Should I just give up and let them win?" But look at where I am now. I'm glad that I didn't stop. I'm glad that I didn't let them get to me.  I'm especially glad that I earned this position so that all of the other little girls around Lake City and surrounding areas can look and say that they want to be just like me. I want those little girls to know that they can do it if no one else believes in them, I will always believe in them. Classmates, when we're out in the real world, don't get discouraged about the obstacles that will approach you. As Michelle Obama once said, you should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it is important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.

Valedictorian Kimani Ross and her family at the Lake City graduation in Lake City, SC. Taylor Adams/SCNow hide caption

Valedictorian Kimani Ross and her family at the Lake City graduation in Lake City, SC.

Lindley Andrew

Salutatorian, Jordan-Matthews High School, Siler City, N.C.

Andrew says her mind flooded with high school memories as she tried to write her speech. This inspired her to get her fellow seniors involved. With the help of her class, she strung together a timeline of national events and local victories.

"Sometimes it's the small, seemingly pointless experiences that leave the most lasting and impactful memories," she says.

Some of us lost our senior sports seasons, our chances to be captains and team leaders. Some lost our final chances to compete for clubs that we've given our all to for the last four years. Some of us lost our final opportunities to perform or display our art, and all of us lost the chance to have all of the fun and closure that we were promised would come in the last three months of our senior year.  Losing the last third of our senior year to a virus was not what we had planned, but it's definitely an experience that will affect our lives forever and a memory that we will never, ever forget. We are made up of our experiences and memories. All of the things that we have been through up to this point make us who we are, and the best part is, we're not done yet. We'll continue to experience things and make memories every day that mold us here and there and to who we truly are and who we are meant to become.  What kind of experiences will you create for yourself? What kind of memories will you make? When things don't go quite as planned, like our senior year, how you handle the disappointments and challenges that you face will determine the experience that you have and the memory you walk away with. 

Favio Gonzalez

Valedictorian, Central Valley High School, Ceres, Calif.

Gonzalez says there were many other events besides the pandemic that helped his class develop their character. In his speech, he highlights the election of President Donald Trump and the prevalence of school shootings. Despite what was happening in the world, he says his class never victimized themselves.

Gonzalez will be attending the University of California, Riverside, where he plans to study biology.

The real test came our senior year with the current pandemic. Although society has developed a higher level of understanding, comprehension and acceptance in years prior, self-victimization has become a common occurrence and is a major impediment in achieving our goals. We expect others to find the solutions to our problems and to provide excessive help, since we truly are powerless in stopping the external factors that impact us constantly, whether it'd be natural disasters, terrorism or disease.  Yet, what many people don't realize is that the impact these unfortunate events have on our lives can be nullified by the effort we place in improving our condition. Learning this from past experiences, our class did not victimize itself. Studying and mastering new material is difficult enough with the help of our amazing teachers, with the added responsibilities of helping more at the house, working an essential job and other challenges that come with being at home, it seemed impossible to keep up with schoolwork. We had to face a multitude of barriers with our unrelenting will to succeed. Standing here today, despite all of the setbacks and obstacles, because of our drive, our perseverance, our willpower to endure is stronger than any deterrent.  Now, as we step into adulthood and start to reach our goals, there will be harder challenges to overcome. But our willpower has been proven irrevocable. Never forget classmates, that as long as you use your unrelenting well, you're an unstoppable force.

Barrie Barto

Valedictorian, South High School, Denver

Barto says when her school closed, she tried ignoring some of the emotions she was processing. "I realized that you need to take the time to acknowledge what we have lost and celebrate how we have grown and how this is going to change us as a class," she says.

This inspired her to write the speech she felt that she needed to hear.

To be honest with everyone, when I sat down to write this speech, I really wanted to avoid talking about everything we miss as a class. It would be way easier to reminisce about when the homecoming bonfire was in the back parking lot. But when people told me they were sorry that my whole senior year was turned upside down, I shrugged it off and said it's not a big deal. It's a hard thing to talk about, and not talking about it seems less painful. But it is a big deal. We missed senior prom and graduation and our barbecue and awards. I would even go back for one more class meeting in the auditorium just to sit in South for one more Thursday. This pandemic was not the defining event for our class. Don't let it be. We had monumental events occur every year we were at South. We have supported our teachers when they rallied for themselves. They've supported us when walking into school was harder than it was any other day. We supported each other through the pains of block day, and air conditioning only working in the winter time, but also shifts in friendships and hard times with family. South brought us all together to teach us something about ourselves that we didn't know before.

Haylie Cortez

Valedictorian, Bartlett High School, Anchorage, Alaska

Cortez says she feels lucky to still be able to give a message and was inspired by what has been helping her cope.

"One of the things that pushes me through everything is knowing that things will go on and stuff will change," she says. "I just want to remind everyone that the future is still there and it's still coming to us."

Cortez plans on attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the fall, where she wants to study civil engineering.

We all deserve to celebrate and be proud of ourselves. It's upsetting that we won't have a traditional graduation ceremony and sadly, we cannot control the circumstances that we face today.  What we can do is choose how we respond to it as we take these next steps in life. It can be hard to imagine what life could look like as time progresses. The only certainty we have is that time goes on and the future will arrive. We can use the pandemic as an excuse for why we can't move on in life, or we can use it as a motivator to find our purpose. Whether we plan to go to college, trade school, the military or straight into the workforce, there is no denying that society will gain something worthwhile. The situation we are living through shows how valuable everyone in society is. The world is finally realizing the importance of the jobs of janitors, cashiers, teachers, politicians, first responders and more. Whatever we plan on doing after we graduate, it will impact society. I invite everyone to look to who you can't thank, and take your time to do so, although the door for high school has abruptly shut for us. I would like to remind everyone that another has opened and we can do with it what we want.

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Here’s What I Want My Students to Know When We’re Not Together…

We miss you, we miss you, we miss you.

If your students can’t hear you correct their grammar, are you even teaching? Being away from our students has been a rude awakening, and we’re feeling all kinds of emotions. So, we asked the teachers in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to share their messages to students during COVID-19 school closures. Here’s what they said:

#1 You matter, and we miss you

Out of the hundreds of teachers who told us what they wanted students to know, 100% started by saying they miss them. We love our students like our own children and this separation is painful.

“That I am thinking of them and missing them daily. The memories of their smiles, stories, and antics bring me joy in rough times. That I will do my best to continue to support them and their families as we wade through uncharted territory. That I love them 💗” —Michelle T.

“ I miss them. That is all. I just really miss them.” —Cory L.

“I hope you are all safe and healthy. I miss each and every one of the kids in the pre-school, Pre-K, and kindergarten classes where I work. You bring me more joy and happiness than any of you can imagine, and I hope we are together again soon.” —Justin M.

#2 Stay safe

The whole purpose of this quarantine time is to keep as many of us safe and healthy as possible. So teachers want students to know that they should stay home and stay safe so that everything can return to normal as quickly as possible.

“School is important but so is your health. Take care of yourself and each other (from a safe distance of course). And, no matter what happens this year, be proud of yourself, your resilience, and your ability to adapt to extreme circumstances. I am proud of each and every one of you.” —Tressa S.

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#3 Be kind to your family

We know being home (in sometimes tight quarters) is tough on everyone, so now is the time to dig deep and be kind. Be kind to your little brother and your older sister. Help them understand the technology they might need for school. Set the table and do the dishes.

“I miss the opportunity to be with you and learn together. While we are apart, learn with your family—learn some family history with a photo album, go on a nature hike and appreciate the world outside together, read with a family member.” —Kristen W.

#4 Investigate your own interests

Being home means school time is a lot shorter. Teachers hope students take the time to figure out what they love and find out more about it.

“I hope they are still having fun and being silly despite the craziness going on in our outside world. I hope they are learning new things even if it’s not me teaching it to them.” —Laura D.

#5 Get creative

One of the best ways to relieve stress and discover what matters to you is to get creative . Teachers hope students create art in any way that matters to them.

“Make some art. Any art. Even if it’s just a pen and lined paper. Glue/tape recycled things together to make a sculpture. Bake cookies and decorate them. Build a snow sculpture. Work through the stress by creating.” —Amber D.

#6 Go outside every day

One of the best, safe activities for kids to do is get outside and play or exercise. So teachers hope that students are doing this every single day. Take a walk. Kick a ball around. Walk the dog. Just get outside.

“I want every one of my kids to get outside and look at how beautiful our world is. Walk slowly through your neighborhood or in your backyard and discover what Spring looks like.” —Cindy K.

#7 Find ways to make a difference

It’s easy to feel helpless in situations like this, but we can make small differences. Teachers hope kids will create We will get through this signs for their windows. We’re hoping students will be supportive and kind to each other remotely as well. 

“I hope you lift people up. Please call or text someone (a friend, your grandparent, or a cousin) to say hi. Knowing people are out there thinking of them can make all the difference in the world.” —Shannon S.

#8 We’ll be here when you get back

Teachers everywhere want students to know that they haven’t gone anywhere. They are merely waiting in the wings until it’s safe enough to be back in the classroom. Students are our purpose, so we feel a little lost without them.

“I’m here for them. This too shall pass. And we will pick up right where we left off!!!” —Jen O.

Besides saying they miss their students, nearly every teacher used the word love in their response. We teachers feel a love for students that’s hard for other people to imagine. They become our families each year and we love them fiercely, even when they can’t follow through or act out or don’t do the work. We love them.

We’d love to share your messages to students during COVID-19 school closures. Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, how the pandemic shows us that schools are more important than ever.

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Enhancing Motivation for Online Learning During COVID-19

Whether a parent, teacher, or a student, online learning can be a struggle..

Posted May 3, 2020 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

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Student motives for online learning used to include, “It’s more convenient,” “I enjoy the anonymity,” or, “It’s easier and takes less time.” However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, these reasons have been replaced with laments of “Can I do it later?” “I hate this,” or “I want to go back!”

The online instruction mandated by most school districts was an abrupt and radical change for everyone involved. The Brookings Institute reported over 104,000 school closures affecting 47.9 million students (Fishbane & Tomer, 2020), subjecting parents, teachers, and learners to a litany of motivational challenges implementing and sustaining effective online instruction. Regardless of whether the instruction is synchronous (required at specific times) or asynchronous (can be done anytime), learning is questionable without a motivated teacher and an engaged student.

Part of the COVID-19 motivational dilemma is the perceived effectiveness of online learning, which is clearly…ambiguous. Some teachers and many students think online learning is a waste of time. In addition, disadvantaged learners may not have computer access or a reliable internet connection.

Is online learning effective? Although situational use of computer technology often boosts short-term learning (Tamim et al., 2011), online instruction may reduce knowledge transfer resulting in less practical value for the content taught. In addition, learners often report lower satisfaction with online learning (Ebner & Gegenfurtner, 2019). One fact that is hard to debate is that good teachers are good teachers, regardless of the circumstances (Jackson & Anagnostopoulou, 2018). As such, the following recommendations are designed to enhance motivation across learning platforms but are especially helpful for online instruction during the unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 crisis.

Recognize existing expectations

Parents, teachers, and students harbor personal beliefs about learning. Most expect that school is necessary and it should be challenging and useful. Some expect learning to be easy. However, not everyone agrees about online learning because online instruction can seem impersonal and unfamiliar. Lack of online experience may promote fear , leading to ability doubts and uncertainty concerning how to be an effective online teacher or student.

These doubts can cause withdrawal or resistance to participation. One solution to sustain motivation is not to lose the personal connection that already exists between teachers and students (Davis et al., 2019). Feeding the bond between stakeholders means regular communication that is both related to learning and of a personal nature. During online instruction, it is especially important to avoid disassociation from the existing classroom culture (Larreamendy-Joerns & Leinhardt, 2006). Replication of classroom routines are essential to promote familiarity and positive comparisons to pre-pandemic learning conditions. Whatever day-to-day routines were used in the classroom before should be adapted and modified to replicate the same feelings and personal experiences during online instruction.

Evaluate course design

In addition to learner-centered concerns, course design issues can broadly influence motivation. A frequent complaint of learners during radical transitions to online learning is simplistic course design. Online instruction may be evaluated as inferior to previous instruction, prompting disengagement. Specific steps should be taken to avoid repetitive text-based discussions, while instead cultivating higher-order skills, such as creative thinking (Boling et al., 2012).

Assessments can be project-based, especially ones that take advantage of home resources and knowledge of current events. Instructors can easily incorporate examples related to the pandemic into their online instruction. For example, use COVID-19 related math word problems or crosswords, critically evaluate the pandemic implications to certain social groups, or graph statistics related to flattening the curve to enhance learner engagement through these difficult times.

Do not focus on merely making learning “fun.” Avoid excessive levels of cognitive load by removing design elements that are unessential for learning such as needless hyperlinks or infusion of games only marginally related to learning objectives (Kalyuga, 2007).

Address misconceptions

Many pandemic learners lack the psychological readiness for online instruction. They may harbor misconceptions concerning learning objectives and believe there is little necessity to show course mastery. Considering the almost immediate transition from traditional instruction to online learning, advance preparation was not possible. Minimal preparation can lead to a lack of critical thinking, limited information processing, and poor retention because learners operate under the unjustified presumption that online learning is easier or useless. Similarly, both teachers and students may approach instruction as a mandated administrative requirement that is not necessarily concerned about achievement. Teachers and parents should emphasize to students that online instruction was necessary and not a substitute to merely to keep students busy until the crisis subsides. When learners perceive instruction to be valuable and relevant their academic motivation will increase, shifting focus away for the emotional consequences of COVID-19 and promoting more personal investment in learning and achievement (Kim & Frick, 2011).

Optimizing effectiveness

Once teachers assure learners that online instruction is serious business and not an inferior statutory substitute for classroom learning, the educator can employ specific design principles found to enhance engagement and persistence. Specific learning objectives and course goals must be explicitly stated. Courses should include prompts such as “by the time you finish this unit you will be able to …” or “this content is relevant because …”

Second, the design should include a site map and mouse-over directional tools to instill learner confidence in the ability to navigate the online environment. Students must believe they are qualified to master an online course despite lack of familiarity with online learning systems.

Third, learner perceptions of relevance can be fostered when course content and online assessments are highly correlated. Learners should be able to review recorded material, access content asynchronously, study worked examples, and retrieve hyperlinked content glossaries needed for elaboration or clarification. Parents should strive to convince their children that online learning can be a fun and informative process, one that is necessary to avoid learning lapses of previously taught material.

Teacher presence is essential to motivate online learners, regardless of instructional synchronicity. Active instructor involvement shows learners that the teacher is motivated to conduct the online instruction. Posting regular contributions, providing feedback, and showing a concern for the plight of learners is essential (Shea et al., 2006). Last, keep in mind that the pandemic fosters feelings of isolation and the emotional consequences of separation must be addressed and explicitly stated as a normal part of the online transition (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006). Regular instructor interaction with learners via targeted feedback that focuses on sporadic interpersonal contact will serve as necessary scaffolding for consistent course participation and continual engagement throughout the pandemic.

Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Schmid, R. F., Tamim, R. M., & Abrami, P. C. (2014). A meta-analysis of blended learning and technology use in higher education: From the general to the applied. Journal of Computing in Higher Education , 26 (1), 87-122,

Boling, E. C., Hough, M., Krinsky, H., Saleem, H., & Stevens, M. (2012). Cutting the distance in distance education: Perspectives on what promotes positive, online learning experiences. The Internet and Higher Education , 15 (2), 118–126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.11.006 .

Davis, N. L., Gough, M., & Taylor, L. L. (2019). Online teaching: Advantages, obstacles, and tools for getting it right. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism , 19 (3), 256-263.

Ebner, C., & Gegenfurtner, A. (2019). Learning and satisfaction in webinar, online, and face to-face instruction: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Education , 4 , 92. https://doi.org/10.3389/ feduc.2019.00092.

Fishbane, L. & Tomer, A. (2020, April 18). As classes move online during COVID-19, what are disconnected students to do? https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/20/as-classes-move-on… .

Larreamendy-Joerns, J., & Leinhardt, G. (2006). Going the distance with online education. Review of Educational Research , 76 (4), 567–605.

Lewis, C. C., & Abdul-Hamid, H. (2006). Implementing effective online teaching practices: Voices of exemplary faculty. Innovative Higher Education , 31 (2), 83–98.

Jackson, B., & Anagnostopoulou, K. (2018). Making the right connections: Improving quality in online learning. In Teaching & learning online (pp. 53-64). Routledge.

Kalyuga, S. (2007). Expertise reversal effect and its implications for learner-tailored instruction. Educational Psychology Review , 19 (4), 509–539.

Kim, K. J., & Frick, T. W. (2011). Changes in student motivation during online learning. Journal of Educational Computing Research , 44 (1), 1–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/EC.44.1.a .

Tamim, R. M., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Abrami, P. C., & Schmid, R. F. (2011). What forty years of research says about the impact of technology on learning: A second-order meta-analysis and validation study. Review of Educational Research , 81 (1), 4–28.

Shea, P., Sau Li, C., & Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. The Internet and Higher Education , 9 (3), 175–190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.06.005 .

Bobby Hoffman , Ph.D. , is an associate professor at the University of Central Florida.

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It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience