Hawaii Schools Are Struggling To Help English Learners Recover From Pandemic Setbacks 0 Distance learning had an outsized effect on students learning English. The DOE hopes more qualified teachers will turn things around.
Rianna Milne, a 15-year-old freshman at Farrington High School whose native language is Marshallese, is focused this year on getting more comfortable speaking English in class.
Milne spent a good chunk of middle school taking virtual classes during the pandemic. She says it was difficult to understand her teachers online, without being able to observe their body language or responses from other students.
“We were always used to seeing teachers face to face and when you are just seeing them on camera, you cannot tell what you’re going to be doing or what they said that you have to do. And it’s confusing,” she said.
Teacher instructions were often written rather than spoken, leaving students who are English learners to rely on their reading skills to understand assignments. Kids studying at home also had fewer social opportunities to speak English.
