Studying online is in no way, shape or form an easy task. It is also not fun at all. Studying online is hard and requires double work most of the time because you do not have the teacher face-to face-to help you. Often, if you are in class, you can get the teacher’s attention quicker just by raising your hand. 

Some perks of online learning are that you can work at your own pace, and you do not have to be in class for the full 90 minutes. 

But, the cons of online learning can be frustrating for students. Some problems they encounter include technology issues they have no control over like wifi problems, Google Classroom not working, not understanding the material, and being afraid to ask questions among others.

Haley Dominguez, ‘21, says that for her the hardest class is Personal Finance. She says that Personal Finance deals with numbers, and it’s hard for her to keep up. “Numbers are hard anyday, especially when you do not have much help,” says Dominguez.  

Not only Dominguez thinks that it is somewhat hard to study online. Many seniors  feel that way. Some think, “What’s the point? Don’t we get to graduate soon?” 

Olivia Willard, ‘21, says that pre-calc is her hardest class. “That class is a struggle for me while I am online,” says Willard. It’s not just about studying online but engaging in the class. Students are told from the beginning that they have to engage and participate  to earn points for that class, but it’s not as easy as it seems. “You try to engage in the class, but the teacher does not really pay attention to who is talking because they focus more on the kids that are physically in class,” says Willard. 

It is not only the seniors who see online schooling as hard.  Some sophomores feel the same way. 

Hillary Mendez, ‘23, says that chemistry is hard for her. “There’s a lot of stuff in this class that you have to do in person and being online is not helping.” Mendez says that she wished that the teacher would “play fair with the amount of attention that is given to the online students.” 

Willard and Dominguez feel the same way. Willard wishes that the “Teacher would ask more questions and make sure that we understand what we are doing.” 

Dominguez believes that “the teacher should pay more attention to the students online.”

It must be just as hard for the teachers to teach online as it is for the students. Many students decide not to show up to class because they are either tired or because they are working on homework and that can tear holes in the teacher’s plans. 

Mrs. Tamra Ropeter, a math teacher, says that sitting at the computer and teaching math is not the same. She feels like she does not engage with the students the same way when she is sitting and teaching through a computer. 

There are many things that everyone wishes that they could change about online learning. Ropeter says that she wishes that she could teach an online-only class or an in-person class only. “That way I can concentrate on the one group of students that I am working with. I also wish that the students online would engage more and keep up with homework,” said Ropeter. 

Many of us wish that we could have our normal back. But, with the coronavirus, what is the new definition of “normal”?