Due to the coronavirus, schools around the world, including WHS, have switched to online school. Now that students and teachers are adapting to this new way of learning, many students have developed different opinions about online learning.

As of now, students in Massachusetts will not return to school until May 4, so school systems have provided different way to keep students engaged with learning over the break.

“I think having online school gives us something to do instead of doing nothing over this break,” freshman Samantha Tyska said. “Although it gives us something to do, nothing is graded, and there’s barely any new material to be taught, so it seems pointless from some aspects.”

The mindset for many students has been shifted due to online school. Many students try to go with the flow, but it can be frustrating not to have the opportunity to fully learn a new curriculum.

“I think online school is a little bit messy, and it’s very annoying that teachers can’t teach us a new curriculum, but it’s better than nothing,” sophomore Jonny Goldin said.

The online work at WHS is known as “enrichment,” and students are not obligated to complete the work, but it is suggested. Many students chose to complete their work so that they don’t fall behind for the rest of the year or miss out on a learning opportunity.

“I have completed most of the online work because I wanted to stay ahead with my learning, and it is something to do that will make you feel productive when you have to stay in,” sophomore Andrew Zhao said.

Throughout these months of missed school, it is critical for students and teachers to stay in touch with each other. Teachers are constantly emailing and assigning new work daily, so it is important students continue to check their emails.

“My teachers have mainly stayed connected throughout Google Classroom, ItsLearning and with lots of emails,” Zhao said. “Personally, none of my teachers have used Zoom, but lots of my friends’ teachers have.”

Although online school may not be an ideal situation, teachers are trying to make the best of the situation so that their students’ learning can be benefitted in the future.

“It definitely could be beneficial if there were some small changes,” Tyska said. “I think there could be better ways to teach new topics, and there’d have to be something to ensure that kids don’t cheat.”

However, the workload for students has clearly been reduced since leaving the classrooms.

“Altogether, it probably takes an hour and 20 minutes to complete all my work,” Goldin said. “Now that we don’t have 56 minutes in specific classes all day, teachers have been assigning no work at all or work that can be completed quickly. The only reason it would take longer to complete assignments is if we have long videos to watch.”

While many students don’t enjoy having to go to school online because it takes away from social interaction, they like the chance to complete work at their own pace.

“Now that we are not at school, I can wake up at my own time to complete my work without feeling rushed,” Tyska said.