Sticking to Virtual

When the Coronavirus hit in early March of 2020, students were dismissed for two weeks thinking they would be back to regular in-person school after that. They never thought that could be their last time stepping foot in the school for quite some time.

Now given the option to go hybrid or virtual, why are students sticking to virtual?

“Personally, I prefer virtual because it has worked the best for me since I am a very fast-paced learner,” said sophomore Maya Knisley. Being virtual allows students to learn at their own pace, whereas being in the classroom and being on pace with everyone else does not allow you to go at your own pace. Being an all virtual student, also brings a larger sense of responsibility. You have the freedom to make your own lunch, go outside whenever you’d like, and have access to everything at your home that you wouldn’t have access to at school, but you must learn to manage your time.

“For a very small group of students who are shy and or have confidence issues, staying at home and learning on the computer has helped because they feel in control of what and when they share with others, therefore helping them develop confidence at their own pace,” said K-2 teacher Arlene Rodriguez.

While teaching K-2 may be a challenge virtually because you don’t have the movement and exploration that you would in class, it still has its pluses. “I feel that some students are learning time management at a much more rapid pace than they would in a class. There is an automatic consequence to not paying attention to the schedule because you miss the meeting and have to wait until the next day,” said Rodriguez.

Virtual learning has brought some students a feeling of comfort. “I prefer virtual learning because overall, I feel safer and more comfortable at home,” said sophomore Maddie Haislip.

Being virtual also allows for some flexibility during the day. “Something I’ve found that works well for me virtually is being able to take a brain break when needed so I do not feel forced to be doing my school work,” Haislip said. Although brain breaks are allowed in school (like at lunch or sometimes at the end of some classes), you can’t step outside or sit down on the couch and relax for a minute while at school.

“Something that worked well for me with virtual teaching was the students having access to their work at any time. This made it easier for students to complete assignments based on what worked for them. This made work completion more flexible,” said a Fluvanna Middle School math teacher.

Virtual school also gives students a greater amount of flexibility that the hybrid schedule does not offer. With this amount of flexibility there needs to be a balance between the amount of time you spend doing your school work and the time you devote to yourself, so that the flexibility is not taken advantage of. ”Virtual learning works well for me because I have a new schedule that I did not have before,” said sophomore Asiana Hawkins.

Students not only stay virtual because it is easier for them, but because it gives them a sense of safety. “I did not want to go back to school in general, but I also did not want to go back because of Covid, so I stayed all virtual,” said Hawkins. For some students, being virtual has helped them with new healthy habits. “I decided to stay all virtual because it felt safer for my health and it was easier for me to concentrate on my schoolwork,” said sophomore Alyana Wyche.

Many students have opted to stay virtual for the remainder of this school year for a variety of reasons. Safety and flexibility are overwhelmingly the biggest reasons for most to continue with virtual learning. How they will cope when school returns to “normal” next fall–if it does–will be the next hurdle.

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