To Meet or Not to Meet?
By Shannan Massillon ('25)
With the recent spread of COVID-19 variants, and with winter sicknesses at full force, a large portion of our fellow students are either in quarantine or just too nervous to attend school. This fear of our school being an unsafe environment has sparked an important question among our students: should North Rockland High School continue with in-person classes, or should it switch to online learning?
The only real way to know what the students think about this is to interview a few of them. Therefore, I took it upon myself to ask several students about what they think we should do. The students decided to remain anonymous for this interview.
Online
In-Person
Shannan: Do you think our school should be in-person or online?
Student 1: I think it should be online, however, I do enjoy in-person school quite a bit. How about you?
Shannan: I enjoy both a lot. May I ask why you prefer online learning?
Student 1: I prefer online learning because it allows me to concentrate on what I am learning about.
Shannan: Thank you for your input!
Shannan: Do you think our school should be in-person or online?
Student 2: I would rather school stays in-person, to be honest.
Shannan: Why is that?
Student 2: Because with online learning, there are a lot of distractions that could stop me from learning effectively.
Shannan: Thank you for your input!
Personally, I prefer online learning, as it is easier to complete. There is no rushing through busy, crowded halls, no screaming kids, and no stress of facing your peers! Online learning also has the benefit of being less disturbing, as in class, you don't have to deal with noisy classmates (or classrooms next door). In addition, when you're learning online, it is so much easier to learn, because you get straight to it in class! As mentioned before, there are no distractions, so we can get right down to business! I felt way more productive with online learning because I was set in the zone for learning.
Whichever way we are in school, we are still learning and have the benefits of seeing our friends every day, even if it is through a screen. At the end of the day, following protocols and enforcing them will keep us learning in a happy and protected environment. Stay safe!
Cover photo courtesy of USA Today.