Not known for his fluency in technology, SLOHS English teacher Ivan Simon made his Zoom debut on Thursday, March 19 to discuss novelist Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” with over 60 of his students.

With COVID-19 making its unprecedented debut in San Luis Obispo County, students and staff alike at San Luis Obispo High School are making their way online to continue the third trimester. One common online teaching tool is the Zoom app, which offers quality video, audio, and a wireless screen-sharing.

  “I was very surprised. He did better than expected, honestly. I was surprised he didn’t need any help,” said junior Kaylie Hall.

  For just over 50 minutes, Simon sat in front of a large bookcase and spoke with his class about the analysis of “The Heart of Darkness” to prepare for the at-home AP essay practice, which was submitted on his Google Classroom on Friday, March 20. 

  Though many students found the opportunity to discuss as a group helpful, some were not so pleased.

  “I hated every second of it. There were so many people on, and it just didn’t make any sense,” said junior Courtney Bloomstine.

Others didn’t have much to say on the matter.

  “It was adequate,” said junior Landen Williams.

  While the occasional mic-bombing interrupted the discussion, the consensus by both students and teacher seemed to be that the first Zoom meeting was successful. 

  For the foreseeable future, students in Simon’s AP Literature and Composition class may have to get used to the large scale Zoom meetings, and Simon’s technological savvy, whether they like it or not.