As COVID-19 continues to spread like wildfire across the country and world, LHS is entering its fourth week of remote learning. Remote learning, as we all have experienced so far, is the most loved and hated term by every high school student in Londonderry right now. The new conflicting relationship is our new normal while we social distance and fight the spread of virus.
Most of us are surprisingly missing regular school right now. We miss the time we spend with our friends out in the foyer being tardy to class, we miss all the sports and clubs that keep us busy after school, and we miss just acting like teens every day.
“It’s tough not being in a normal classroom and being able to have in-person discussions with classmates and teachers,” senior Tim Gore explained. “Video conference platforms like Zoom are great, but it’s still very different than an in-person discussion, and in-person discussions are much more valuable.”
As human beings, it is in our nature to crave human interactions which makes social distancing and remote learning so difficult to cope with. We lust after just talking and chatting with others; it’s one of the main things we do every day at school that we took for granted.
Just to have a normal conversation with friends is much more difficult than it was a month and a half ago. Not only is just chatting with buddies hard, but most student-teacher conversations are skewed when it comes to learning online.
“I can’t go to school and have the face to face time with teachers,” senior Owen Miller said. “Everything is more detached.”
And as everything is more isolated and removed from the classroom, the level of learning decreases.
“The worst part about remote learning is losing the class discussion aspect, and the face to face learning,” sophomore Laura Bowen explained. “I struggle with having to sort of teach myself and have no one to discuss with.”
While Zoom and email are great ways to clear things up with your teacher, it can take some time for that to happen.
“Not being able to easily ask questions as I’m working is difficult,” senior Makenzie Gagne said. “I usually have to wait half an hour to get a response.”
Unfortunately, this pitfall of remote learning doesn’t get fixed by teachers spamming their students with constant reminders and notifications to “help clarify,” which inadvertently makes things even more challenging.
“The worst part about remote learning is that it is very stressful and hard to get organized,” sophomore Abby Foley said. “Each week I get notifications constantly about what needs to get done and it is extremely overwhelming.”
Also, many students can attest that time management and organizing one’s day can be no small task either.
“Having to make my own schedule is the worst part of remote learning,” junior Anna Drabik said.
This problem can be helped by some apps that can help guide your day to make it more productive. But the hard part is actually following that schedule, which can be difficult at times due to distractions and even more online work being assigned.
“The worst part is having no physical separation between work and my home,” sophomore Nathan Seibert said. ”It feels like I never leave school.”
Although things may be feeling down and everything is pretty tough, it is important to realize this won’t last forever and things will get better. Right now, it is essential just to look on the bright side of our conditions and enjoy the new freedoms of this self-directed learning.
“I enjoy remote learning because it gives me the opportunity to go outside more,” Bowen said. ”When we were going to real school, I would get home, go to a sport, then do homework, with no time to do anything else.”
LHS athletic trainer Michelle Hart-Miller also reinforced the importance of being active and staying in motion by doing things to either help you or the community.
“Being active is important now to keep physically and mentally healthy but really should be daily habits for a lifetime,” Hart-Miller said. “Try to maintain the same level of activity you would experience during a school day. Keep your schedule consistent; get up and go to bed at the same time, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, set a schedule for homework, social time with phones and social media, get some sort of exercise daily and set aside family time.”
And to try to keep life as normal as possible, she explains how to stay in rhythm and with small goals in mind.
“Getting up and moving around will help keep your energy levels up and maintain health. The recommendation is to get up and move around every 20 minutes or so to keep muscles from stiffening. Challenge yourself to get those 10,000 steps in everyday!”
Not only is having time in your day to stay active and healthy vital for everyone right now, it is a fantastic side benefit of remote learning. Another immense benefit is the amount of sleep we can get now. No more 7:20 morning lectures, just 11:00 wake up calls.
“Now I don’t have to wake up early every day,” senior Katie LaCerda said. “I feel incredibly rested because I’ve been getting actual sleep.”
Also, with such a structure-free schedule of schoolwork, it means you can tailor your day to match your intentions.
“The best part about remote learning is having the freedom to manage your time,” junior Lilly Tharrington said. “Once you get your work done in one class, you simply move on to the next. So, if you get your work done fast enough, you often have a nice rest of the day.”
With this unique opportunity, school can go by much faster than it usually does, making all of this nightmare just a little better. And if you plan your day out accordingly you can have some fun with it.
“I grind all my work out until lunch, so I can chill the rest of the day,” Sophomore Grady Daron said.
As simple as it may seem, managing your time, staying active, and taking care of yourself are good ways to keep structure in your everyday life while making the most of the situation at hand.
