With COVID cases on the rise and the end of quarantine becoming increasingly uncertain, it’s easy to want to just give up and wait until in-person school starts up for life to begin again. You’re probably upset that sports, dances, and activities are cancelled or moved back, and that clubs and classes are virtual. It’s hard to stay motivated and connected as you learn through a computer screen. However, there are also many benefits to having virtual learning.

For starters, you get to sleep in every day. I can easily get up at 7:30 a.m. and have plenty of time to get ready before class starts, which simply wasn’t possible before.

Personally, I like how short most of my classes are. A lot of the work that’s given allows for creativity and flexibility. While the overall workload has increased and is far more independent, I feel like I’ve learned how to prioritize what’s most important, in terms of both physical work as well as my mental health. This is essential and valuable preparation for college courses, which is helpful for anyone who’s planning on going to college after they graduate high school. This is also beneficial for any career or job.

Regardless of your standpoint on virtual learning, there is undoubtedly more time for friends. Sometimes learning independently on your own schedule can be hard–however, in most cases, now you’re able to pick when and who you get to work on things with, either over Snapchat or Facetime, which might benefit your overall learning anyway.

I love that zoom classes and lectures are recorded, too. Now, when taking notes, you’re able to go back, pause, and rewatch if you’re struggling. You can also take breaks and come back to material as you wish.

Overall, I’m probably with the majority of you–virtual learning is hard because it’s so different from what any of us are used to. But, given our current state of the world, it’s also very necessary.

According to the CDC, Wisconsin ranks third for the state with the highest number of COVID cases, which is an alarming 29, 912 cases in the last seven days as of October 25.

Of those confirmed cases, 474 of those fall between the ages of 14 to 17 as of October 18, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. While the majority of us are young and healthy, that doesn’t seem like a huge deal. I’m right there with you. I would give anything to have a normal senior year. But based on the trends, these numbers can easily rise if we go back to school. It could mean life or death for those high at risk, who might be your classmates, teachers, family members, or friends, who you can potentially infect by just going to the grocery store.

School will always be there for us–our friends and families might not always be. Try to look at the positives. We will all go back in due time, when it is safe to do so.