andrew symonds andrew, welcome to the show. happy summer. >> hi. nice to be here. >> all right. you wrote an op ed in today's san francisco chronicle in which you say covid made this year's graduating high school class different. and you surmise that based on the speeches, many ted talks, if you will, that you asked each senior to give in your english class what did you notice? >> well, i noticed a number of things, the class of 2024, they have kind of a unique profile, that comes with assets and also challenges. so they were pulled out of middle school, the end of middle school. they missed out on a graduation, and then they spent most of the first year of high school on zoom. and so they had unfettered access to technology, their, their academic life was dependent on the use of a laptop, and this kind of coincides with, of course, many of them kind of getting smartphones for the first time, the rise of ai happening, maybe a couple of years after, coming back from this. so, i think some of the features of the class of 2024 definitely less comfortable with public speaking and also less comfortable with seeing the classroom as a place to feel part of a community, and sort of, a tendency, i tnk, to, not just struggle with public speaking, but also struggle with sort of being present in the moment, being a good audience member, seeing the classroom as a place where community can happen, to feel invested in it and sort of responsible for nurturing it, whether that means, listening patiently and avoiding multitasking, while a classmate is speaking, you know, and they're part of the audience, or if it's, you know, simple. a collaborative group project that involves them kind of coming together and creating, something sort of authentic together to sort of interact with each other academically, and a meaningful, productive way, i think is harder for them than it was for students who at least had a year or two of high school under their belts, before being pulled out with school building closures. >> i have certainly seen all that you're speaking of right now, you know, the level of engagement is lower. the sense of community is lower. so what should they do? what can they do as they go forth? now to many of them to college or perhaps to jobs or trade schools, etc, just adulthood. what can they do? is there a fix, well, the fix, it's a complicated challenge, and the fix is going to have to be multifaceted as well. i think it's really important to remember that this was a major event that affected all these students really differently. it was harder for kids of lower socio economic status, harder for students of color, and it really benefits them, i think, to have chances to talk and write with and for each other about that experience. i think it's really good for them, and one thing i did notice with all the writing that my students both juniors and seniors, did towards the end of the year, actually was that many of them reflect on the pandemic experience, as a really powerful one. and i don't think we should necessarily, you know, view that experience as entirely negative. of course, it was a catastrophe, and it remains quite challenging for us, but many of them really use that opportunity to see themselves and their values. and now that we're a couple of years down the road, when they have these opportunities to, like, write a memoir of their education life or to give a speech in front of others, they end up seeing sort of who they are, via the lens of that experience, and so i think that's been really good for them. and the more chances they have to do that in the future, the better. >> yeah. i mean, andrew, you know, as they say in every challenge, there's opportunity. thank you for coming on the show to share “got-up-too-fast-from- tying-your-shoes” back injury. not to be confused with the “you-threw-your-back-out- sneezing-back-injury”. lucky for you, an amazon one medical provider can help. and if it comes down to needing meds? amazon pharmacy will deliver them to your door. of course, you have to get to the door. ♪ coverage begins at 5:00 right here on abc seven. that's followed by after the game and warrior center trace jackson davis will join larry and the guys then at nine, catch wheel of fortune and jeopardy! we have a special hour long abc seven news at ten. then stay with us for abc seven news at 11. thanks for watching. getting answers. we'll be here every weekday at 3:00, answering questions with experts from around the bay area. world news tonight with >>> tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the extreme heat right into the east. philadelphia, new york