With the school year coming to an end, high school students are continually coming closer to college. Did being online hinder that experience? How did you feel about your overall performance in your first year of high school? 

Yes, it was fun to be home and go to school in bed and not have to worry about what you look like, what to wear and how to act.

That was a major relief. But what about your performance in school and your grades? How did you end the school year?

Lancer Media interviewed the Class of 2024 who experienced their first year of high school at home and through a screen. What did they think and how did they feel about this school year?

What were the challenges you faced while being home?

Emily Blohm said, “The main challenges I experienced with virtual learning was that it was harder to get help and use my resources than it would have been at school.” 

Communication through Schoology Message was a problem. When the answer to an urgent question was needed, sometimes a teacher wouldn’t email back until a few days later and by then, the problem had either been fixed or worsened. Students had to know to check their messages, their email, their groups and their classes.  It was just confusing.

Office hours were given to students to help with problems they had. They could talk one on one with their teacher. Though it is a very helpful tool, many students neglected to using it.

Other students share their problems.

Victoria Pietanza Said, “I was not focusing on class as much as I would like to and I would be doing other things. But when it came to me going to school, I was confused because I wasn’t paying attention.”

It was very easy to skip class or lose focus unless students elected to be in person.  Plenty of students can relate.

Daniel Lake, a English teacher, shares his point of view of teaching freshman “This year was tough for teachers as well as students and the opportunities we have to help our students” He seems to feel the same way with the connection between a student and teacher,

“Students who were at home often did not feel connected to what was going on in class, and that disconnection just seemed to grow over time. I think we all missed the more relaxed and structured classroom experience, and we’re looking forward to getting that back next year” Lake says.

Freshmen who didn’t make a connection with teachers will now have a disadvantage next year. Compared to the sophomores and upperclassmen, who got to know their teachers in person for their freshman year.

What did you enjoy about being home?

I greatly enjoyed being able to be in the comfort of my own home. I even got a little home office for school. This did help my experience of online learning, it helped me focus a lot better on my work. Others felt different.

Abby Childers, who was a prime example of using hybrid for her advantage, said, “I was not a huge fan of being home. I’m glad that the option was available in the midst of the pandemic so everyone could be safe. However, I felt it was a challenge for both the teachers and the students to be on the same page and get the same things that they would in real school.”

With plenty of assignments and due dates. It was hard to keep track many teachers. Calendar difficulty of keeping up with due dates. 

School took place from 7:30 to 2:30.  The definition is different in a pandemic because all assignments are “home work.”  How many students had the discipline to work straight through the given time?

What did you struggle with most in freshman year?

Let’s be honest, did you imagine sitting in a chair looking at unfamiliar faces with awkwardness sitting in the air for your first year of high school. I know I did.

What I didn’t imagine was for it to be at home and online.

Zack Davis said, “Some things I would say I struggled with were having all of my core classes in all the same semester. And it was not a fun ride but it was a challenge, but if I weren’t virtual, I don’t think I would have been able to stay afloat” 

I completely agree Zack, Science was hard on me as well. On top of that, math.

How is your experience online going to reflect on your sophomore year?

I will definitely study harder than ever. Sophomore year is supposed to be one of the hardest years of high school. Paying attention in class is not an option. On or offline. 

I think sophomore year will be a year to look forward to as we enjoy a more freeing summer. Summer of 2020 was all about being inside. 

With vaccines going out and being available to more people, we can hangout and do all the things we didn’t last summer. It will almost be like the summer of 2019. 

Emily speaks up again on how she feels about her upcoming school year,

“My experience will definitely affect my sophomore year. I now know how fast I have to work when I’m at my own pace. So next year I will plan out my assignments and when to get them done so I am not rushing to complete them.

What tips will you give the class of 2025?

A big one everybody can tell you is that studying is a huge part. And going to office hours won’t make you uncool. It will actually give you a great advantage in the class. I know it helped me a great deal.

Other students who have survived their freshman year and lived to tell the tale, have some advice,

“My advice for the class of 2025 is don’t waste a second. The year goes by very quickly. It could be taken away in a second, just like the pandemic. Make your grades a priority and set good foundations for years to come. Get into clubs and make new friends, they could really help you in the later years” Childers recommends great ideas for the new set of freshmen to come. 

She gives great advice for the freshies about to come, heade everything people say to you, they are only trying to help you survive your first year.

Teachers are a big part of your grades, and your attitude towards them will reflect that. Victoria speaks up again on how to act towards them.

“Make sure that you form good relationships with your teachers and talk to them respectfully. So that it is easier for you to ask for help when you need it.”

She only speaks the truth when it comes to teachers. 9/10 teachers are respectful right back. But there are always certain teachers that can get under your skin. But they aren’t there to hold your hand. We learned that within the first month of school and kept that in mind.

Freshman year will be scary but fun. Especially if you have a teacher that you roll with very easily. Even if you don’t, make sure to have fun during your first year of high school. It goes by fast.