The paper shortage dilemma

Annabelle R., Staff Writer

A recent paper shortage has affected the way teachers have run their classrooms, causing a greater dependence on student Chromebooks. This has changed people’s reliance on paper.  

“I’m kind of old fashioned. I like to have a piece of paper. I like to be able to go back to it instead of having to worry about getting my computer started and then looking at [a document],” said language teacher Jessie DeLuca.

The struggle to adjust to the lack of paper was not only felt by teachers, but by students as well.

“A lot of my students read or analyze things better when it’s handed to them in a physical format. I’ve seen that a lot with the paper shortage happening, that when it wasn’t in the physical format […] it was a lot tougher for them,” said history teacher Sean Prahalis. 

The paper shortage caused issues for teachers and students alike when faced with the absence of paper.

“It was a hard cold-turkey stop that was a little difficult for some students,” said Prahalis.

However, some students were not as phased by the sudden lack of physical class materials.

“Since Covid happened, we’ve been using our computers a lot more, so it wasn’t too much of an adjustment. I don’t mind. I actually prefer typing. Nowadays, we don’t do a lot [of homework or classwork] with paper. I only use paper mainly in math, like in geometry. But, for all my other classes, we really utilize our Chromebooks,” said Karen P. 

The use of technology in the classroom has prepared teachers and students for online dependence in the future.

“It made me more comfortable with the online format in case we need to go through [virtual learning] again because, you know, we can’t predict what tomorrow will bring,” said Prahalis.

As a number of teachers and students feel more ready for online learning in the future, others are not as keen.

“I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I really hate it,” said DeLuca.🔳