The upcoming online semester may seem dreary, but it has some serious advantages.
Yes, quarantine sucks, but we can make the best of it! Before people were begging to go back to “real school,” everyone wanted freedom from the smothering schedule of Ventura High. Picture this: It’s Nov. 2019. You wake up at the crack of dawn, disheveled and too sleep deprived to go to school. You have a stressful time preparing for school, driving there in a rush. Next, you are plopped in an uncomfortable plastic chair for the next seven hours. After a school activity or sport, you rush over to a job. After being stuck there for a few hours, you head home to study and do school work into the wee hours of the night. This stressful schedule continues endlessly, often filled with blood, sweat and tears. This schedule allowed us to see friends, but it also caused many teens to be anxious and sad. Of course, we will be missing out on potential memories, but in turn, this schedule–which worked us to the bone–is behind us! At least till Jan.
Our new schedule opens up many new doors, most of which are infinitely better for our mental health. It’s now a block schedule, which means our classes will only be going till noon. On top of that, it looks like we get Wednesdays off! This new schedule gives us time to focus on homework, after school activities and our own passions. We no longer have to fit this mold of what we are told a student should be.
Another reason why online school is great is that it takes place during the fall semester! Remember when it would rain and we had to walk through the stormy weather at our outdoor school? That was not a great situation. The insane swamps of stinky mud all through the quad, the slippery linoleum floors, lakes of dirty water and bone chilling wind through the hall are no more! Now when it is cold out, feel free to stay in your pajamas, turn on the heat and do school in bed! Just picture how cozy the winter will be!
No more commute! Back in the days of physical school, we had to wake up early to commute. This consisted of getting a ride, catching the bus or riding your bike, all while lugging a few pounds of school supplies. Now, you can wake up a few minutes before class and all you have to do is log on.
Online school is an introvert’s heaven! If you are pretty closed off like me, online school is a pretty nice opportunity. You no longer have to sit in a classroom full of thirty-five judgemental kids, face the fear of speaking in front of the class, and participate in group projects that cause anxiety. Now it’s all on your own without the awkward small talk and daunting presentations. Shy people rejoice!
No more wasted time! Before coronavirus, lots of time was wasted or just filler. Passing period, lunch, nutrition, that was all wasted time that could have been used for studying. On top of this, there was wasted time in the classroom. Annoying class clowns trying to irritate the teacher, passing out papers to each student, and even just trying to stop the class from talking, these were all just forms of wasted time. With online school, this wasted time is no longer a variable. We can just get down to business and study.
Basic rights are not infringed upon! Remember back in the days of school when we were told not to use the bathroom, eat, or wear what we wanted? These barbaric rules are not a thing anymore. Eat when you want by just bringing your laptop to the kitchen. Use the bathroom whenever by just leaving the Zoom for a little. If you get dress coded while at cyber school, what are they gonna do, give you a digital detention? Just say no, sexist dress codes can’t be enforced this year! All of these basic rights which used to be violated at school are behind us.
Although it may seem like online school is gonna be super shabby, choose to look at the bright side of things. We can make online school a productive and positive experience
