Insight on how the pandemic changed people’s preferred ways of learning.

With the transition of online classes to in-person, a lot of students have seen the differences and benefits of both types of teaching. Although changes have been added to in-person learning, with the addition of safety precautions and masks, some VHS students have expressed how great it is to be back.

The hands-on and face to face teaching you get from in-person teaching helps keep students focused and on task. Being at home was comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable because of how easy it was to join a Zoom or Google Meet then immediately go back to sleep, not learning anything. You’ve probably heard from older teachers how much they prefer in-person than online, either because of lack of technical knowledge or the ability to get easier and better feedback from students.

“I liked online more, but my grades were really bad so in-person helped my grades but online helped me sleep more,” said junior Nathaniel Murray. “Also, I have ADHD and I could barely focus with a computer, I was always on my phone during class.” Online learning kept a lot of students from paying attention for many reasons, ADHD being a big contender on why people’s grades suddenly declined. Personally, being at school and doing work is easier to do and learn from than doing it alone at home.

Sophomore Mack Reyes said, “I wasn’t here before, so I don’t know what the difference is but I don’t really care. I like being here because I can see my friends and hang out with them.” When asked if he would choose to go back to online learning, he said, “No, I hated taking a picture of everything. It’s better to just turn stuff into the teacher.” Students and teachers have said that having a physical paper to turn in is easier for them to grade and keep track of.

The new school year changed the general VHS public opinion, whether they like online or not. Keep in mind  that the school and teachers are trying their best to bring normalcy back into students’ educational life to make a better and easier environment to learn in.