Top Five Things That I Will Miss About Remote Learning/First Semester

As we look forward, already two weeks into 2021, we can see change on the horizon. In politics, in the state of the pandemic, and in our school lives. Many of us are slated to return to NNHS in a little over a week, 10 months after we left the building to begin “an early spring break”. While there has been a lot to be discouraged by over the last few months, remote learning has had its silver linings. Whether you are remaining remote and need some positivity or are anxiously awaiting a return to normal and need to find small things to get you through the next week, here are my top five things that I will miss about the remote learning format which we have grown accustomed to. 

 

5. Comfort

While I can’t claim to have dressed up or extensively planned out outfits ever, I have reached a new level of laziness in the clothes that I have worn to “school” over the past months. Most days, I end up wearing pajamas and wrapping myself in a blanket or robe to stay cozy while in class. Compared to even the joggers and sweatshirts that normally are staples of my outfits, this is a new type of casual. Outside of my clothes, I also haven’t had to do anything with my hair. Normally something that I spend more time on than anything else in the morning, I haven’t put product in my hair in over four months because there isn’t anyone around to impress. Now that we are returning to school, I’m gonna have to get used to laying out clothes before I go to bed and making sure I don’t look like a hobo.

 

4. Self Direction

Independent work time and solo breakout rooms have become commonplace in many of my classes. I love this time because it allows me to choose what to work on. In a class where I am ahead of schedule on a project, I can lean back in my chair and scroll through TikTok or study for a test that I have coming up in another class. When I am behind on my work, this time is invaluable as it allows me to work uninterrupted by anecdotes or commentary from my classmates (I’m sorry kids in my ceramics class, I don’t care about what you did over the weekend, I need to work on my vase). This time also serves as a much needed mental break. With classes growing to 90 minutes, I need to turn my brain off at times just to prevent myself from spacing out or letting all the information blend together. Once we go back, this freedom will likely be lost–I can’t watch TikToks in class even if we do get independent time–so I am hoping to enjoy it while it lasts.

 

3. Classes Ending Early

When I first heard about 90 minute periods, I was upset. While some classes (including AP Lit of course) would be fine for that duration, others like gym and math would be horrible. I prepared myself to have to focus for such a long time until I realized that my teachers didn’t make us stay for the whole time. Of all my classes, only 3-4 generally keep me bell to bell. This gives me even more time to relax and work on homework. This is the one aspect of in person learning which I am most irked about. With the retention of the block schedule, I am very curious as to what teachers will do. Will online students be dismissed while in person kids are forced to stay? Will all of my classes start to go bell to bell? What will breaks be like while in person? All of these questions remain unanswered but I am afraid of what will come.

 

2. Eating what/when I want

Another great thing about online school has been my freedom to snack. While most teachers were fine with eating chips or other small things in class during normal school, I couldn’t look through my cabinet and decide what I wanted because I was limited to what I had packed in the morning. At 6 am, I didn’t have a good idea of what I would be in the mood for later on in the day and time and temperature constraints limited my lunch to sandwiches mostly. Now, I can warm up leftovers or enjoy a bowl of pasta without having to hope that it stays warm during the day. Remote learning also allows much more flexibility in my eating schedule. Before, if I would have 4th period lunch I would be eating too early and 6th period lunch would make me hungry by the time 5th period rolled around. Now, I eat on my own terms and I feel this leaves me feeling better and performing better during my classes. This is one thing that will not change with a return to in person instruction. With no lunch periods and earlier end times, I will still be able to enjoy the comforts of my cabinet. 

 

1. Sleeping In

To top off my list we have what I believe to be most people’s favorite part of online school: getting to sleep in. Although I won’t have to wake up as early as I did Junior year because I have a parking spot and won’t be forced to hike down Pacific or Benedetti, I will soon have to start waking up earlier. Currently, I wake up at 7:30 and immediately get on school. I push eating breakfast and other morning activities until after my first class in order to get even more sleep. This in turn has let me stay up later without losing out on getting my beauty sleep; working on school nights isn’t a problem anymore nor is cramming for a quiz or test. Although it will take a while, I will eventually get used to waking up earlier and eating first thing in the morning just like I’ll get used to losing all the things I have mentioned on this list (if the pandemic has taught me anything, its that I can adapt) but I will still be sad to see them go.