As the first marking period comes to a close, students are finally settling into their respective learning environments. The pandemic has made this a difficult transition for many students, especially for those who opted for full-time online learning. Below are a few of these students’ opinions and experiences with how their year is going so far.

Ansa Khan, freshman:

“Being online, I feel disconnected from most of the class. A lot of the time you see teachers trying their hardest to adapt to the online students and their efforts are appreciated, however not being able to participate in a class or see anyone else makes you feel very isolated. As much as I would like to go back, it’s a tough decision to make collaboratively with family, and risking exposure is not worth it. Thus, my typical workday is spent just going from one Zoom meeting to the next until I get a break. There are some perks; for example, leaving class early and overall having a lot more free time. I do believe that online learning is an influential experience and although things aren’t back to normal, it’s the best we can get for now.”

Kloe Stauffer, sophomore:

“I really enjoy being online, especially because I feel more safe in my home and most of my teachers have done a really good job at making remote students feel included, and I have a lot less distractions in my home rather than in school.” 

Maddie Hobbs (Author), junior:

“Honestly, for me, online learning’s a real double edged sword. The mornings are much less stressful than they were when I attended school physically, but I find that it’s harder for me to wake up in the morning. I end up half-falling asleep in my first period a lot, though that still might’ve been the case even if I did go into the building. A lot of my class time is spent on my phone, on social media and texting my other friends who opted for online. We gossip and try to re-explain topics to each other, since most of the time nobody has a clue what’s going on. 

Overall I’d say it’s so much better than attending school in real life. I’m able to have so much more time and I feel like I get more done. It sucks not being able to see most of my friends though, and I can’t really do anything for school that involves meeting in the building.”

Aroob Khan, junior: 

“I usually get up about five minutes after my alarm rings. I get ready, grab my coffee and sit down for class. I usually have time since I’m at home, so I like to review my notes and scroll through Tiktok to pass the time. My first class is english, and it’s a pretty easy going and interesting class. For me it’s a good transition from my slow morning into the school day. After that I have chemistry. This class wakes me up and really gets my mind rolling because there’s a lot of thinking and precision involved in it. Then, periods three and four, I have history and geometry. Both are really straightforward classes. After that I have French. It’s one of my challenging classes mainly because there is a lot of speaking and you have to pay attention in order to keep up in class. Then, finally, I have lunch. After that I have my last class of the day, psychology. I look forward to this class because of how interesting and fun it is. That pretty much sums up a typical day for me as an online student. I would say, however, that the only downside to online learning is that you’re not really as involved in class as you can be. Other than that, I like that I am in the comfort of my own home and that I don’t have to get ready or be ‘presentable’ in front of my teachers and peers”

Aum Patel, junior:

“I honestly kinda like it because I have a lot of study halls and I get to wake up late and just do anything I want to during my free time.”   

Nathaniel Dick, senior:

“My experience with online has been decent. I enjoy being in the comfort of my own home, and being able to chill while learning. The best part about it is being able to wake up ten minutes before your class starts and just turning on your computer and being done with it. A big downside is that I take a lot of classes that have active discussions, and it’s very hard to incorporate the Zoom students into it while having a nice flow to the conversation. Overall it’s been a good experience, but I’d definitely prefer in-person learning than online.”   

Raewyn Kraybill, senior: 

“My experience with online school has been decent. I enjoy being able to have a longer lunch break and do whatever I want during study halls. It feels a lot less stressful to do school at home, and I can be more comfortable. I also get to wake up later since I don’t have to get on zoom for my first period. However, I’ve missed being in school and just being around everybody. I still see my friends and work on group projects on zoom, but it isn’t the same as just being able to talk to people in the class…  I miss going somewhere else and then coming home just to relax for the day. It’s also an issue for me that I don’t always do the work during the actual class period and get distracted. So there are a few nice things that make online school manageable, but it is not at all ideal.”