Quarantine and distance learning is something completely new for me and my family. On March 13th when they announced we would be doing distanced learning it was shocking to me. I, like many others, was hoping for the cancellation as a break from school but thought it was not severe enough in our area. The news was kind of exciting as I was not doing well in chemistry or Algebra 2/Trig and was worried about my grades sinking further. I was hoping that this distance learning would give me more opportunities to raise my grades and learn at my own pace.

A lot of the teachers at my high school were very supportive of the situation. They were lenient on due dates and gave chances to correct assignments. It was nice to have teachers who assigned the work ahead of time, giving me more time to work on it. The teachers who posted homework the day that is was due at the beginning stressed me out quite a bit. After talking to those teachers though they started improving the homework scheduling and posting times. 

I’m thankful to my teachers who put hints at the end of quizzes and gave unlimited attempts. I found that my language skills improved thanks to knowing what I could be doing wrong and how it should be formatted for the quizzes. Teachers who had multiple choice quizzes, but would not show my grade or answers stressed me out. I had a C+ in math at the beginning of this quarantine and it was stressful not knowing if I was doing well on these tests. I could not tell if I understood the concepts well or was doing the work correctly.

My favorite method of learning and homework has been Pear Decks. I thoroughly enjoy Pear Decks because they are interactive and go at your own speed. Also, I feel that Pear Decks have helped me retain information better because they feel more fun than and ordinary slide show. I really hope if distance learning were to continue, teachers would try to get more creative and fun with their lessons. 

I think quarantine has given me time to improve on myself and focus on school more. Learning online has been way more convenient for me and allowed me to spend time with family. I have also made friends with so many people through games and chatting. Honestly though as great as it has been, I miss going outside and not having to worry. I also feel stressed because this is one of the many things going on currently. This half of 2020 has been a rollercoaster, so I’m hoping for more peace in the latter half of this year.

I hope you have a BEEUTIFUL day