This year has been one unlike others due to COVID-19. Classes have resorted to becoming fully and half-virtual. Many students have had to adjust their way of learning and teachers have been forced to modify to a new method of teaching. Some students have found that being fully virtual is easier for them to manage their studies compared to going back and forth between school and home. The benefits of being fully virtual are much more efficient when managing a schedule and attending classes. 

Attending school virtually allows students to be able to have more control over their own schedule and can improve on time management aimed specifically towards one’s needs throughout the day. Students are able to wake up later than normal and perhaps have a more beneficial sleep schedule. Some students currently do not have a lunch period, and since they are able to stay home, they can just grab a snack within a few minutes and still attend their class at the same time at ease. 

“Wearing a mask all day and having to carry around a screen and only being allowed to eat outside is too much of a hassle for just being able to attend school. My learning experience won’t be the same even if I decide to go back, so I see no point,” said junior Livia Banavar. 

Many students feel that school has changed and will not be the same even if it is in person. The new rules and regulations that have been enforced have changed the environment of the school for the purpose of ensuring the safety of its students. 

The cost of this has caused many to simply change to a fully virtual schedule for safety and efficiency and many find it easier on their part. Students who choose to attend classes online have a smaller chance of getting the virus. At school, one is more likely to come into close contact with the virus. Minimizing the number of people one comes into contact with, would increase their safety as well as that of those around them. Even if a student follows the rules and regulations that have been put in place to ensure their safety, it’s not guaranteed that all students will do the same. The school cannot control what students do outside the building, they may have attended events with no masks or been in contact with multiple people who may carry the virus. 

Regardless of being fully virtual or following a hybrid schedule, students have still been forced to alter their way of learning and adapt to a new way of life. Overall, however, being fully virtual definitely carries more benefits in complying with a student’s needs and preferences, as well as carrying a better guarantee of student safety.