Should LT go back to school, or should students stay in their homes and learn on Zoom? In this day and age, both ways of learning have their ups and downs. Many students are losing their mind sitting in their room all day on relatively silent Zoom calls. At least they can lose their mind in their room instead of in a classroom. Having students learn outside of the classroom might be a small price to pay if it means keeping the student body of LTHS safe and healthy. 

Some schools may be at a crossroads trying to keep students safe, learning and happy. LT was considering a hybrid learning plan that was sent out to parents, but after a few days of confusion and outbursts among parents, LT changed plans to a completely online version of returning to school this fall. It is the simplest way to keep students apart. If we had gone back to school, the desks would be six feet apart, and we would have to wear masks in the hot, stuffy classrooms. 

There is no point in going back to school if there is going to be so many rules in place. It will take all the fun out of school. The safest way to go about this is to see what other schools are doing and follow suit because they all care about the health of their student bodies. Most schools in our area aren’t returning to in-person learning, so why should we? We don’t want LT to seem like they don’t care about the well-being of their student body. 

In the hybrid version, students would be split up based on the first letter of their last name, and Wednesdays would be all online. This is very confusing and would be difficult for students to follow.

Zoom classes start at 9 a.m. everyday, which is nice to get extra sleep in during the week. On Mondays classes are 35 minutes, while Tuesdays through Fridays are on the block schedules with 75 minute classes. This is a simple schedule that is easy to follow, and if students enter the wrong class, it is much easier to leave the Zoom and find the correct Zoom meeting in time. 

For Zoom to work, teachers must have very specific calendars with all the work that was done during class. Each assignment should have blank copies, along with answer keys, so students can have examples. They should do the same with all homework. With these simple adjustments, Zoom is usable and will make life easier for students and teachers alike. 

Working in class online isn’t a walk in the park. Working in groups is the worst part of it all. Many students feel uncomfortable talking online and stay silent during group work in class. Zoom is a difficult learning curve for students and teachers alike, but it’s the best choice to keep the students safe. This way there is absolutely no in-school contact with other students which decreases any potential for COVID-19 to spread. LT cares very deeply about the health of their students. It doesn’t want its students to become another number, another statistic.

The administration values the importance and individuality of all its students. That is why they chose the online version of learning for this semester. Even with masks and social distancing available, LT is such a large school, and there are so many students that it would be difficult to keep everyone separate. Furthermore, school days are extremely long, and LT doesn’t have air conditioning. This would make wearing masks a challenge for a lot of students and teachers.  

A lot of work and preparation went into the decision-making process and making the best choice for the student body of LT. While going into school would be fun and have academic benefits, the more practical solution is to stay online. In the future we can hopefully see improvements for Zoom learning, but at the end of the day, we all have to learn calculus somehow.