After a year and a half of classes being virtual for all students at Florida A&M University, becoming accustomed to in-person classes again has been a struggle.
The convenience of class being right at the finger tips of both students and staff is desperately missed on bad weather days.
Tallahassee, Florida’s capita city, is situated in the central part of the state’s northern Panhandle, and it can be extremely humid. And this leads to a lot of rainy days.
It is well known that bad weather decreases the number of students who show up for their classes.
“My last class is held at 4:40 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Being that students are already less motivated in the evening, when it rains my attendance drops sufficiently,” Alicia Hope, the basic computer operations professor, said.
With puddles of water filling the parking lots, muddy construction and hovering gloomy clouds, students would often rather stay inside of their living spaces.
“Walking from my dorm to class becomes too much of a hassle on rainy days. I hate getting wet, and it is almost inevitable even with an umbrella. I usually show up to class irritable and soaked,” Raina Lewis, a second-year student at Florida A&M, said.
Student engagement and performance, in the classroom has been affected by bad weather with students losing enthusiasm for the daily objectives before class even starts. Though some professors and students do not mind pushing through, some people still feel as if rain diminishes the overall daily experience.
“Being from the windy city, Chicago, where it rains a lot less, I find it difficult to find the strength to get out of bed in bad weather. Not only is it annoying, driving is extremely dangerous because locals and students in Tallahassee speed,” Arielle Daniel, a third year student, said.
Students who have the News Break app installed on their cell phones, know that accident alerts constantly go off in Leon County, due to reckless driving. If classes were to be switched to Zoom on bad weather days, attendance would remain consistent, students may feel more comfortable learning from home, and professors would be able to effectively project their objectives for the day.
No one wants to be the bearer of bad news, but it may be safe to say that rainy Florida is the least favorite of days. Especially throughout the week.