As everyone knows, New Providence High School has shifted to an online learning experience indefinitely. Many students have many different opinions about this form of learning. We sat down with a couple to get their viewpoint on the new stage of high school learning.

When Lauren Byrnes, a Senior,  was asked to describe her experience of online school, she had this to say:  “I like to work on my own time. So transitioning to online school was easier for me than most. I will say that the switch has improved my time management skills as I must complete every assignment by the night it was assigned.” The switch wasn’t all blue skies however, as she mentioned how it is hard to truly grasp some of the math concepts, as learning from math videos isn’t the same as having a teacher right next to you and she does miss real school: “What I really miss about going to school is seeing all my friends and favorite teachers everyday. It is such a huge change going from seeing them so often to never seeing them.” Finally, she believes that it would be very upsetting if graduation were to be cancelled, but completely understands why it could be.

Cate Munn, Junior, also shared her opinions of the online learning process. Cate enjoys the experience, and believes that while it definitely has its downfalls, there are some strong benefits according to her. She admits that: “I like how we don’t have to wake up early.” While it’s definitely a tough situation to be in, benefits like that can actually be crucial for a student’s mental health. Cate also really enjoys being able to work wherever and get work done in different places in the house. Some challenges, however, were alluded to by Cate. She says the most prominent one is teacher help: “ If I’m confused with something I usually have to email a teacher and that process can be challenging.” All in all, Cate had more positives to say about this experience than negatives. She, however, like us all, is eagerly waiting for us to eventually get back to school to see friends and teachers again.

It’s clear the idea of your own schedule is very beneficial to both of these students. Even with the new versions of green, gold, and white days, there is still a lot of flexibility for a schedule and that can be helpful in completing the days worth of work. Missing friends is definitely a negative with the online school, but tools like Zoom help students keep connected with both their friends and teachers. Understanding lessons can be challenging and both Lauren and Cate expressed those concerns. It’s an unprecedented time right now, but finding benefits in the things that have been changed in our lives is crucial, and despite the negatives all students like Lauren and Cate are trying to make the most of what’s going on.