Starting in March of last year, students and teachers all over the country were forced to learn how to navigate virtual school in one form or another. Throughout the past year, SHS’s virtual teaching has evolved from essentially assigning homework to do throughout the day, to alternating class zooms based on cohorts, to hybrid classes. While some may have enjoyed the shortened schedule as it allowed some students more free time, others found it very challenging to keep up with the steady stream of homework. This new schedule is a much needed change for all of us.

Too often we will forget that our time as high schoolers is running out. Whether we like it or not, high school is a very short period in our lives, and we need to use this time to its full potential. For many students, high school is the last round of education that they receive, as some are not able to afford any higher education and others will not need one. While some may believe that we need to “take it easy” on the students, by doing this, we would be robbing those students of their last chance at an education before they are sent out into the world.

The old schedule, while arguably necessary given the circumstances, limited the amount of “face-to-face” interactions for students and teachers and broke a routine that students and teachers have been following their entire lives. Given the short and sparse class periods, many students found it more difficult to ask questions and retain information. When students are unable to collaborate and communicate effectively with not only their teachers, but their peers as well, it makes learning the material feel nearly impossible. 

However, in order to compensate for the decreased number of classes, teachers felt pressured to double the amount of homework each night. This led to an overwhelming amount of work thrust upon the students every other night, rather than a manageable amount everyday.

While attending school for six and a half hours can seem like a lot, especially after becoming accustomed to three hours of zoom every day, it is important that we continue to challenge ourselves. The world is a scary place, and without the proper conditioning, we would be in for a rude awakening. Switching to a schedule that is closer to what we have done in the past is the best way to foster a healthy working environment and to encourage effective working habits, both of which will help us long after high school.

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