METTEN: Online school could be a positive change

RYLEY METTEN

Coronavirus has made it impossible to go back to school for the end of the 2019-2020 school year, initiating an unprecedented switch to online schooling. Online schooling is the only way to access class material and receive credit for classes. However many students argue that the change to online school has made them have a lack of motivation as the school work seems “optional.”

This phenomenon has plagued me as well as many of my friends as we have gotten used to going to school and learning in an actual classroom environment. This, however, may not be the case for many other students.

A large amount of students actually struggle attending school and keeping up with classwork inside of a classroom environment. Many classes often have days that are just mere “busy-work” days which have no actual impact on what students need for the class. Many of those same students have to still go to work after a long day of sitting in the classroom and accomplishing almost nothing.

However, now that RHS has made the sudden change to online schooling, many students are actually finding themselves enjoying it. In most of my classes, the work that is assigned is due in about a week from the assigned date, this gives students seven days to complete the work and space out everything. With online school, I have much more flexibility when it comes to due dates and the way that certain assignments are done. Also there’s no more need to stress over if you left a certain homework assignment at home, as everything is now virtually saved.

Not just that, but online schooling takes a lot of pressure off of students who struggle with anxiety. Those who dread doing presentations in front of a class no longer need to worry about that.

The change to online school has also definitely changed students sleeping schedules, however I find myself and many others getting the actual amount (or probably more) of sleep that we need to be able to function throughout the day without that dreary tired feeling. This gives students more energy to be able to complete assignments and actually work hard on them.

This switch to online schooling may show that some students find that they are much more compatible with online school in the future and will ultimately switch to online schooling once school returns to normal. Many students may struggle returning to an environment that is fast paced and hard to keep up with therefore they will want the tranquility of online school back.

I miss the convenience that school provided in terms of socializing and being able to talk to classmates that I usually wouldn’t. We can still see our friends while doing online school if that is what many people choose to change to once the shelter-in-place is all over with.

I don’t see the problem with students transitioning from waking up at 6 a.m. to go to a classroom setting to learn for seven hours a day for five days a week to online school. I see the problem with students transitioning from waking up at any time they want to do school work anytime of the week for online school back to the dreaded five day school week.