A Day in the Life of a Virtual Student By: Sam Di Santi

 A Day in the Life of a Virtual Student By: Sam Di Santi  

**My vlog is included below!**

  Sparta's Decision:

     This school year is certainly nothing like we have experienced before. In March of 2020, Sparta announced that schools would be closed for 2 weeks due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government soon followed suit but explained that this was a much bigger deal than we had originally believed. Most states were in quarantine for a few months, New Jersey was in full lockdown until June, while some Southern states began the reopening process in May. Teachers and students had 2 days to prepare for this new experience of distance learning, and, needless to say, it had quite a rocky start. We finished out the 2019-2020 school year from our homes and had high hopes for the 2020-21 school year, but unfortunately did not get all of what we wanted. Districts all around New Jersey and the country decided against sending students back for Hybrid or Full in-person instruction due to the high transmission rates of COVID-19. They also did this because there weren’t enough staff members to accommodate the number of students who chose the hybrid model. Of 3050 Sparta Students, only 550 students opted for the full virtual instruction model. That is only about 18% of the entire district, so it’s understandable that with a large number of students planning on attending schools and many teachers who didn’t feel safe enough to be back it would have been practically impossible to send us all back on September 8th. (Source)

My Decision:

    When the form first came out, I opted for the all virtual option. My true opinion was that there wasn’t enough time for the district or the teachers to make a plan for in-person learning. Online learning was never an issue for me so, I felt it would be best to wait it out and come back in December. Many of my peers felt the opposite, and while I understand after all these months at home wanting some in-person interaction, I felt it would be even more miserable in school. We would only be able to have half days, coming in every other week, and masks had to be worn the entire day, with no breaks. While the in-person human interaction would be nice, the teachers wouldn’t be able to come very close to students at all, so the only difference would really be the location where I would be learning. I decided that it would be best to go all virtual until the kinks would have been worked out with the first group doing hybrid. 

This is my set up for distance learning. I include my personal computer for work, my school computer for meets, my agenda, my homework folder, planner, and pencil case. Lastly, I also have my materials for my first-period class on Monday, which happens to be culinary. I also have a very comfortable swivel chair since I’m sitting most of the day, my backpack with all my other supplies, and some dog toys in the kitchen which you can see in the background.  The Cons to Virtual Learning: Technology Issues
    However, this doesn’t mean that virtual is without its faults. The teachers and students are doing the absolute best that they can. However,  there are some things out of our control that really hinder our learning experience and the teacher’s ability to teach. Technology has been a huge issue, during the first week especially, a large number of internet providers in Sparta were having trouble. Many students I know were having trouble getting on meets, staying on them, and being able to hear their instructors. Jonathan Byrnes, a tenth-grade student at SHS, stated “The second day of school was a struggle because I only was able to be in 2 classes for the whole time. Those other two classes kept kicking me out because the internet was down and I got stressed because I didn’t know what the teachers were saying.” Teachers have also been having similar issues, getting kicked out of their own meets, computers restarting in the middle of a live session, or not being able to load up notes they need to present during a meet. I have felt this as well, my Chromebook can only run a meet and isn’t able to handle anything else. I have to use my personal computer for any actual work I have to complete, the Chromebook is extremely slow, on the first day it took a whole period (65 minutes!) just to load my Google Drive.  The Cons to Virtual Learning: Too Much Screentime        Also, the issue of being tied to the computer all day is very present. During lunch, especially, I have to take a break from the screen. Most students are on meets for at least 4 hours per day. On top of that, students usually have homework after school that is also all online. Staring at the computer screen for a very long time can often give people headaches and hurt or strain their eyes. It is so important to make sure to take breaks during the school day, or you will feel like you can never get away from the computer. Cons to Virtual Learning: Lost Time     We also lose a lot of time when we are virtual, if this were to continue until the very end of the school year, we would lose 40 days of instruction from each class. That is an extremely significant amount of time, especially for students in AP classes who need to prepare for an exam in May. Those classes are already rushed to get everything in before the exam, it’s now even more so with so much lost time. Overall, there are many issues with virtual learning, it's nowhere close to perfect, but students and teachers are doing their best to adapt to this new situation. Hopefully, we will soon be back in person, in an actual classroom, learning together. Pros to Virtual Learning:     On the other hand, Virtual learning does have some benefits as well, I love being at home with my dogs for more time during the day. In the vlog I attached, you’ll see a lot of them since they’re usually near during my meets. I also enjoy being able to make a hot meal for lunch. I’m able to make healthier choices because I’m not limited to what can travel to and from school. I also keep a better schedule with my eating habits and spend more time focusing on my physical health. One of the biggest benefits is the hour-long lunch. It is an amazing time to go on a walk, take a break, do homework, review material before a quiz or test, or just watch some Netflix before afternoon sessions. School also ends earlier than it did when we were in person, and because there is no travel time back home we can start homework earlier and not have to stay up so late. It allows my schedule to be more flexible, which I love, and academic assistance is offered every day for about 45 minutes. This is an amazing opportunity to get help and also to get to know your teachers better.

This is Gus (L) and Rosie (R). They are a big part of my day and are often sitting in on my meets. Gus is two years old, and Rosie is 4 months, so they definitely keep me busy and provide a good break when I just need to get away from the computer. In this picture, Gus is showing Rosie his favorite spot in the kitchen, which is laying right next to the oven.  

Overall Thoughts: 

    Overall, Online and in-person learning both have their drawbacks, but I honestly still prefer online learning in this situation. Our school year may look very different this year, but we’re all just doing the best we can and trying to make it work. I truly hope that someday soon we can get back to the classroom and go back to “normal”, whatever that may mean now.