Sublime? Is distance learning bliss with the lack of early classes, a very lenient grading policy, and much more free time? Is it the worst thing ever?

Personally, distance learning was great. Yes, I missed my friends, teachers, and being able to leave my house immensely but it was also really nice to suddenly have an easy second-half to junior year. I have been blessed that school and taking tests has naturally come easily for me, so having to teach myself (because some of my teachers just gave up on teaching) during distance learning was not that bad. This semester was supposed to be one of my hardest due to my class load, AP testing, and taking the ACT, but suddenly I no longer had to worry about any of that. 

That being said, I also recognize how lucky I am that quarantine was so nice. I recently read a blog post, How to Check Your Privilege During a Pandemic, that helped me realize how hard these past three months could be for others. Especially in the context of what is going on in the world right now,  it is important to consider your privilege during these trying times: I am healthy and have a safe home, but there are other students that are immuno-compromised,  live in an abusive home, or really struggle in school without face-to-face instruction. The system of blended learning must be altered next semester to accommodate these students that are struggling, and the students that complain about “not being able to hang out with friends at lunch” need to be reminded to look at the big picture of what others are going through. 

The best way for everything to get back to normal is a united community effort. Kylie Chu’s comment saying “More cleaning may be required but students can help by wiping down their desk before leaving”, meaning every student needs to do their part in the fall to ensure the success of social distancing, is incredibly important to remember. All students need to work together to get through this – everyone needs to make a conscious effort to social distance and keep those who are compromised in mind. This new situation of blended learning, whatever system this might be, requires us to be flexible and not only think of ourselves. Yes, our social life might suffer next semester, but don’t forget that we are also living through a deadly pandemic.