Think back to school at this time last year. Nobody “zoomed” into classes, you could sit next to your friends, and you didn’t need to wear a mask. Now, there are some students at school and some at home, you have more rules and guidelines to follow, and you have to stay 6 feet away from your friends. 

The 2020 school year definitely looks different compared to other years, one of the differences being that some kids are virtual, some in-school, and some hybrid (virtual and in-school). When you are an in-school learner, you get to interact with your friends and the teachers more, you do not get distracted as easily, and it is easier to do group projects or work with a partner. However, there are more guidelines like wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart.  

When you are a virtual student, you do not have to worry about a mask or getting sick at school. Plus, you get more time to get your work done. On top of that, you can do your school work laying in bed. You also get to learn more about technology, that is important because of how much you will need to use technology in the future. Although, sometimes the Zoom meeting glitches, and you do not get to interact with the teacher as much. You can also only hear the teacher talking so if an in-person student answers a question, you have no idea what they said unless the teacher repeats it. Also, instead of just raising your hand to ask a question, you either have to unmute yourself or type your question into chat, and sometimes your teacher forgets to screen share so you have to send the teacher chats on Zoom saying that you can’t see what the in-person students are seeing. 

Both options have different challenges and things that work better, and as we continue throughout the school year, we can learn how to fix the challenges and make learning easier for everyone.