Over the past two years, COVID-19 and the ensuing pandemic have drastically changed how schools are run. We have come a long way since March 2020, but we are still faced with challenges. Even though we are learning in person again though, there are still cases where people need to join Zoom meetings to do Remote Learning.

Freshman Shealy Kissner described her general experience with Remote Learning. Kissner was quarantined in January 2022 and had to participate in class through online Zoom sessions. Nowadays, most classes have their own Zoom link in case of a COVID-related quarantine,  and usually the teacher will continue class like normal and the quarantined students can listen and participate through Zoom. Kissner explained that being quarantined was s “Like a break from going [to school] in person and it was nice to [relax].” Even though student have overall adjusted to being in person, there were still benefits to being at home. Overall, Kissner explained that she“Thought it helped with my mental health,” to be able to work at her own pace and still get work done.

Even though students engaged in school remotely  for most of last year, the school’s remote learning plans have changed a lot. During the 2020-2021 school year, zoom calls would normally take less than the time allotted to them in the block schedule. This year, now that students only have to do Remote Learning when they are quarantined due to COVID,  the experience is a less interactive experience because not everyone is on Zoom, and teachers don’t have to create assignments specifically for students on Zoom.

Overall, the last two yars have definitely been challenging, and we have had to adapt and change the way we learn things to fit within the parameters of strict COVID-19 precautions. Although Remote Learning isn’t used as much this year, it’s still a safe backup plan that teachers are prepared to use.  For instance, Kissner opened up about how it was also nice to have a little break from going in person and getting to finish her assignments at a pace that was comfortable for her. Even though remote learning might not be ideal for some people, it is still very well-planned and a great alternative when you are quarantined.