When Sacred Hearts Academy’s campus re-opened in September, families had two choices: to continue their daughters with distance learning or to send them to campus for in-person instruction. The majority chose to return to campus, according to the Academy, with about 190 students staying home and 240 returning in person.
Students say that both online and on-campus learning have their advantages and disadvantages.
“I am taking online classes because I was a bit worried about the whole (COVID-19) situation,” junior Shayla Anoina said.
If she returned to campus, Anoina said she would be able to see her friends, have a better working environment and have a more hands-on learning experience. However, to her, staying home is the safer choice.
Anoina’s normal school day from home consists of waking up at 7:50 a.m., brushing her teeth, then logging onto Zoom at 8 a.m. After school, she takes a nap and does homework. While she has been coping well with online school, Anoina does admit that it is a struggle sometimes. Additionally, the junior does not see herself returning to in-person instruction anytime soon. The transition, to her, would be too unnatural.
Junior Maya Chizer elected to return to campus at the start of the school year.
“For the most part, I like being on campus, but low-key just want to go back home,” she said. “Yet, I know how much more difficult that is going to be (for my learning).”
Another junior, Selah Lipman, also chose the on-campus route.
“It was very hard for me to learn things online, where I was easily distracted,” said Lipman, referring to the Academy going to distance learning last spring semester and at the start of this school year. “Being in the classroom has made it so much easier for me to pay attention, and I love actually being able to see my friends and my teachers.”
According to Lipman, one thing that she didn’t like about online school was the fact that she would often find herself zoning out. Other students say it got to the point where they would just lie in their beds or stay on their phones, unless told otherwise by their teachers.
Lipman doesn’t have to worry about distractions any longer. Instead, she is able to give her full attention to her teachers as she navigates through being a student during a global pandemic.
