Seamus: Outside the Classroom: Students’ Co-Curricular Lives During Covid

By Seamus Stein

Often when we are teaching, we only see our students for a few hours each week. What were they experiencing during Covid-19 that we didn’t see? Four students have agreed to tell their stories about the past year; watch Math Values this week for a glimpse into the lives of our students.

Seamus Stein is a Data Science major in the class of 2023 at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

Seamus Stein

Tell us about your experiences as a student during Covid-19.

Throughout my life so far, I have faced many challenges, and, despite them, I persevered. When the pandemic began, I was worried about starting my second year but I decided to head back to campus. Despite the challenges that this decision brought up at times and knowing I could study at home, I felt that I could not leave what I had at school: the tremendous support from professors and friends.

I was born with cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia) and moderate hearing loss. For me, my disability affects my legs mostly as my muscles are tight. I use crutches to get around. While I did not have to travel to classes that were remote, it was difficult for me in a different way because of my hearing loss.

Despite having hearing aids and an FM system that my professors wear (which directs the sound directly to my hearing aids), I still miss details. What I think is important for others to realize is that with hearing loss, I do not know what I did not hear. In addition, I also read lips. During the pandemic, I found it was harder to understand my peers in class and friends outside of class as I could not rely on reading lips. My professors would wear masks with clear plastic so I could see their faces. This was beneficial for a while in class but soon they would fog up. Despite this, I found myself doing better and understanding more when I was in the classroom than when I was in Zoom meetings.

The first semester began. I was able to be in person for two of my classes, one of which was Calculus III. Another of my classes, Probability, was completely virtual over Zoom. So that I wouldn’t have to run back to my dorm in between my two in-person classes to be at my online class, I worked with the wonderful people at accessibility services at the beginning of the semester to be able to take my Zoom Probability class in an empty classroom in the same hall as the next class.

Before the term started, I was nervous about not being in person and not having human interaction. However, I was able to talk with some of my peers from Calculus outside of class, which I found extremely helpful later in the semester when all classes went virtual—we had already established a pattern of working together that we could continue. The one class that stayed the same was the virtual Probability class. From the beginning, I went to the remote office hours, which helped me process the information. I also attended a few office hours for Calculus once it went remote. There was no communication in classes between the students and the professor for a little while so even though I was doing well, it felt nice to talk with the professor and check-in, especially when I got stuck.

When I was not studying with my classmates and wished to study, I met with a few people who lived on my floor. Most nights we would quietly study at the end of the hallway in the lounge. In addition to studying together, we soon became friends and would check in with each other and go on walks in our ever-changing environment. I finally started to feel like we were coming out of Covid when late second semester our campus Ultimate Frisbee club was able to begin playing again. This brought me a sense of hope and joy in another challenging semester.

What would you like to tell your peers?

To my friends and to all my peers who became my friends, my message is: Thank you for being a friend. At times, this year wasn’t easy, but we persevered together.