One needs no introduction to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects. Schools were at the forefront of conflict regarding the virus. The county, early into the 2020-21 school year, gave students the option to go digitally and learn online. The option to resort to online learning remains this year, but students remain conflicted over the decision to return. 

Sophomore Cayla Johnson stayed home from school in the 2020-21 school year, providing both pros and cons of the situation. 

“It was nice to sleep in and do work on my own time but maintaining a solid work ethic was difficult. It also got pretty lonely given I was home the majority of the day,” Johnson said. 

Johnson pushed through struggles and tried to keep herself on track, but self-management proved to be a tough endeavor. One of the biggest negatives students struggled with was maintaining and balancing a good routine to stay on top of their schoolwork. 

 “Working at my own pace was great until I’d fall behind and was unable to pick myself back up for a few days, only to repeat the process again in a week or two,” Johnson said. 

Johnson expressed how she missed out on numerous social gatherings and activities with her friends and how building off previous relationships was more difficult to accomplish through digital learning.  

“The biggest difference is definitely the amount of social interaction. In-person school isn’t much harder or easier than online learning, but I get to spend a lot more time around others,” Johnson said. 

Despite the drawbacks that online learning presented, Johnson tailored the different school experience to her needs.  

“I think completing work online was easier because I had more time to figure everything out. I was able to really think things through and focus on the areas I needed the most help in,” Johnson said. 

COVID-19 was something out of the ordinary. Students and staff were caught off guard and worked through the sudden and difficult catastrophe to keep school up on its feet, on campus or not.