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At Home or In-Person Learning

Annaís Mendoza

  • February 17,2021 ​

Having been spontaneously forced to take part in virtual learning 9 months ago, there is a consensus among students that there are pros and cons to this form of education. So I’m sure there are many teachers and parents asking the same question: Has Gahr’s Virtual Academy made it easier or harder for students to learn? It may very well depend on the student and it’s quite complicated to tell. With all the pros and cons, it's almost a tie, but let’s take a look at what a few of our students have to say.

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Siva Pidikiti, an AP/Honors student, believes that “learning in a virtual academy is tough and has definitely made it harder for us to learn.” Our new education model has caused a reduced time students have with each teacher. Siva elaborated and said that since teachers go very fast in order to cover all the material for the year, he has less time to understand the topics they are learning. With that, the urgency that teachers feel is reasonable because we have gone from 278 minutes per week of live instruction to 140 minutes per week. To support the counterargument that online learning has positive aspects he said, “the virtual academy has given me more free time, which gave me more time to study and more time to finish my homework.”

In agreement with Siva’s opinion, Antoninette Valdez, a CP student, says, “I think at-home learning is harder than in-school learning.” When asked why, Antoninette explained that “there are too many distractions,” from loud siblings and parents to internet problems that frequently need troubleshooting. She also said that it feels as though “teachers are just giving more work than they usually do to keep us busy” and as a result, students are becoming unmotivated due to all the assignments they have to complete. 

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Online learning definitely has its challenges. Worrying about our internet going out right as our teacher calls on us or if there will be enough time to ask questions on something we’re confused about is stressful. This only adds to the stress that students may already be feeling with the amount of homework and “classwork” they have, although all work being done right now is home-work. Because of this, it’s no wonder that many students at Gahr may be feeling the same way Antoninette and Siva do. 

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However, this may not be the case. If students are having trouble adjusting to virtual academy, they are not showing it through their school work since almost 1,200 students at Gahr made Honor Roll or Principal's Honor Roll for First Quarter. Even so, if you are struggling academically because of online learning, check out the Gahr High School website for information on the Writing Center, the Math Center, and Evening Tutoring!

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