It is as if we are in a television series called “Earth.” The year 2020 is a season and the events that have happened are episodes.

• Episode 1: Legendary Basketball Star Kobe Bryant Dies in a Helicopter Crash.
• Episode 2: COVID-19 Puts the World in a Panic.
• Episode 3: Murder Hornets?!
• Episode 4: A Diesel Spill Threatens Russia’s Environment.
• Episode 5: The Murder of George Floyd Sparks a Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement.

We are only six months into the year 2020 and so much has happened. At the same time, I feel like nothing has happened. My days in quarantine have blended together in one large mush pot. I hardly ever know what day it is and the only thing that helped me keep a schedule was school.

Personally, I liked distance learning. I finally got the chance to work on having a more positive mindset, spend time with my family, and relax. Having a flexible schedule had allowed me to complete assignments without the pressure of due dates. Without any tests to worry about, I was finally able to learn for the sake of it, which is honestly more fun.

For most of my classes, I learned by watching a video and doing practice problems. I liked how I was able to rewind the video whenever I did not understand a certain part. Sometimes with F2F learning, it can be difficult to listen and take quality notes simultaneously. With videos, I can learn at my own pace and really try to understand the notes I am taking instead of scrambling.

A downside to this method of learning is that sometimes, you don’t know if you are doing the work correctly. My teachers posted pictures of the answers without explanations and did not give us feedback on quizzes or tests, so when I got something wrong, I wasn’t sure why. I emailed my teachers with questions but asking them for help in person was much better.

“I also feel like only posting answers and not explaining the work also made me feel like I had to learn everything by myself and do additional research to have the knowledge on what to do.”

Kelly Pham

Studying for the AP Physics 1 Exam was a disaster. The amount of content to review was overwhelming. My teacher hosted review sessions on Google Meet but it was awkward. Less than one-third of my class attended the meetings and no one really participated. Nevertheless, I continued to attend the meetings but did most of the studying on my own. After watching several videos and reading many articles on how to study for AP exams, I created a 6-week study plan that consisted of reviewing content by rereading a few sections in the textbook and watching videos, and practicing FRQs. A lot of them.

My history teacher approached the situation with project-based learning. He hosted Google Meets and went over powerpoints, but I needed more information in order to actually complete the projects. I stopped going to the meetings and ended up reading from the textbook. Project-based learning required more work but it wasn’t bad when I worked on a little bit every day. However, things got rough when I procrastinated.

Oh, those times where I would fall behind in my work. They were not fun. Being at home means being around more distractions. Some days, I would find myself doing everything besides my homework. I would watch movies, spend time with my family, dance around, and just procrastinate. It was difficult to stay motivated because it felt as if the assignments did not matter. Many of them were marked “optional” and in May, the district approved the emergency grading system, which means that the grades on our report card could not be lower than they were before closure.

For Fall 2020, I think that our school should implement the schedule of M/Wed F2F and Tue/Thurs/Fri online. It would allow students to have a flexible schedule while keeping them motivated. In a class discussion, I wrote:

I think that two days of teaching F2F a week would be beneficial for students while following social distancing guidelines. It would be enough to help students learn material/lessons and engage with their teachers and other classmates in person. It would also give them time to work independently and allow for a more flexible schedule. On two of the other three days, students can try to work on homework on their own or collaborate with other classmates through Facetime or other video-chatting services. If they have any questions, they can ask when they are in-class or email teachers. Being able to ask questions in-class more frequently would help other students who may have the same question and decrease the amount of emails that teachers receive. When it comes to social distancing, I think that it could work. More cleaning may be required but students can help by wiping down their desk before leaving.

Time works in weird ways. The days go by slowly, but the months fly by. It feels as if everyday is the same, but when you look at as a whole, so much has happened. How can time be simultaneously uneventful and eventful? I can’t believe that half the year has already gone by. I really hope that this year takes a turn for the better and that this season of the series “Earth” will have a positive season finale.