Quarantine Conflicts: “Student Struggles” by Katie Fisher

As students transition to online school, Katie Fisher describes the struggles many students face.

The shift to online learning has been a daunting experience, to say the least. Going from a very structured school schedule to an almost self-directed learning plan has been somewhat of a challenge for me. Monday mornings are the hardest for me, because I have to plan out my week, and it can be overwhelming at times to see all the work that I have to accomplish this week, while also remembering to take time for myself. Due to having to break up the work into a timely fashion, it has taken a toll on keeping up the A-B day schedule. My most demanding classes are on B days, so it would be impossible to keep this schedule without becoming overwhelmed with work. Furthermore, the difference in amount of systems and assignments has also been a struggle. Some of my teachers are giving us one assignment per week, while others are giving a list of 5 or more. This results in it being hard to manage all classes, since some have to be prioritized over others. Additionally, the lack of consistent platform usuadge is a challenge to tackle. Some teachers are using Zoom, some Microsoft Teams, and others only Schoology. It has been quite an adjustment to tackle all these different types of communication softwares, and, furthermore, my computer does not have a webcam that functions, so I have had to figure out the Zoom and Microsoft Teams on a mobile platform, which is much different from the computer additions. Another struggle that I have experienced is the amount of work coming from my AP class. As we prep for the exam, it has been hard to review without my actual teacher in front of the class reviewing with us. I have always enjoyed reviewing with my friends, and as AP tests approach, I am still reviewing, but it feels slightly different than the classroom setting. While FaceTiming is an option, it is not the same, as I like to favor face-to-face interaction much more.