Remote learning overall a negative experience for most

By: Morgan Montgomery

Due to the pandemic, parents and students alike made the decision to attend school in person or remotely. The system was changed from first to second semester. First semester, the students had a home school, for instance, Olathe South, and some teachers from other schools. Second semester, the remote students belong to Remote High School, the teachers being teachers of said high school. It makes it easier for the school system to organize it all. This being said, some parts of remote learning benefit the students, but other things greatly burden the students.

One benefit to Remote High School is the guaranteed safety. The students stay athome, not risking any exposure to the virus. Another benefit is that, while there are still due dates and deadlines, it’s somewhat leisurely and more ‘at your own pace’ than in-person school is. That being said, the disadvantages greatly outweigh the benefits.

One loss the remote students have is social interaction. Though there is safety in social isolation, there is also a danger, as students are losing their social skills. Not only is their social life now lacking, at least school-wise, but so is the ability to interact with other people, being able to seek help after a class, being able to get help from peers. As opposed to seeing the faces of their peers, the students often see grey screens staring back at them. They don’t have the ability to get to know

their fellow peers, meaning that it’s harder to form relationships.

A concern with some students is that they aren’t getting an equal education.

A remote student, who will be refered to as Eliza to keep anonymity, said “I feel as though because I’m remote and don’t have access to the teachers, that I’m not getting the education and opportunities that inperson students are getting. It feels like the teachers aren’t sure how to teach remotely, and not only that but they’re also thinking we have more time, so they assign more homework. I don’t feel it’s fair to us, the remote students.”

Another struggle remote students face is their mental health. The longer students are at home, facing these problems alone, the worse their mental health gets. Many more students are becoming depressed or anxiety-ridden due to the stress of not having the access to teachers and peers that in-person students do. The suicide rates in teens have increased with the pandemic. Teens are feeling more alone than ever due to the isolation they’re facing.

“I’ve reached an absolute low during this semester, my depression has gotten so much worse to the point of thoughts of suicide and self-harm, and it’s all because of remote learning. I have extra stress from my parents and school has been something I dread instead of look forward to, which never used to happen before,” said Eliza.

Overall, although there are pros to remote learning, there are more cons and it ultimately harms the students rather than helps them.