Haverford struggles to support students from financially struggling families.
At a school where technology is used every day, the devices students use are essential. While our neighboring schools supply students with Macbooks, Haverford only has Chromebooks for students that cannot afford their own laptops. Macbooks are expensive, but one of our competitors, Shipley, provides students with Macs if needed. This might seem like a slight burden for the student, but with virtual school, it can be difficult for students to load up a Google Meet and another tab simultaneously.
My parents both work, which forces me to stay home and watch my brother some days. This requires me to not only monitor my brother’s Zoom classes but also to pay attention to my own. You can imagine how frustrating this situation can be by itself, but having a barely functional laptop only makes things worse.
There have been numerous times where I was forced to beg my teacher for extra time on a quiz because my laptop had taken up most of the time loading Canvas. Students are also asked to download certain apps, which cannot be done on Chromebook. You can imagine how that can affect motivation to complete assignments.
Despite Haverford preaching brotherhood, academic equity may only apply to those who can afford it.
The school needs to support lower-income students with better technology. Students without the money to pay for their own laptops are put at a disadvantage and are expected to perform the same way as other students. Despite Haverford preaching brotherhood, academic equity may only apply to those who can afford it.
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