MONTREAL -- For teenagers who have spent years looking forward to the Cegep social scene, Thursday brought a big let-down.
“I was going to be able to do all the things I wanted like come and see new people, new experiences, find people that are more like me,” said one student, 18-year-old Marco Pereira, who is entering Ahuntsic College.
The first day of school was Thursday. Normally the heart of campus would have been filled with students studying or hanging out between classes. But with social distancing, Pereira got a first taste of what it will look like this year—empty.
On Wednesday, at John Abbott College, students did a version of orientation, while spaced well apart.
Some schools, including John Abbott, will be offering some in-person classes that require hands-on learning.
But many students in Montreal will be learning entirely from home.
For Cegep teachers, one of the questions is how to keep students that age, who often thrive on being in a group, engaged and motivated.
“My experience is that distance learning is just a bit more stressful for students,” said Ahuntsic College teacher Jonathon Sumner.
“They're more on their own than if they had their peers in the same room with them. There's a certain unavoidable isolation with distance learning.”
In the end, all the changes will likely affect what students learn or at least are tested on, he predicts.
“Will we have the same exams this year? I doubt it. I think they will obviously reflect the semester the students have experienced,” Sumner said.
