It’s Thursday, 1:45pm, and you’re waiting for your teacher to finish up their last thought just before the end of class. Now your week of Google Meets is over, but now you have to make sure you turn in your work by 10:00am the following morning.

Online learning has been implemented into students’ daily lives amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It consists of students attending one forty-minute weekly Google Meet for each of their classes and completing work that has been virtually assigned by teachers. However, the way that students feel in regards to this style of learning differs greatly from person to person.

Wilde Lake Junior, Jet Stevenson, believes that online learning is generally fine, but there are some things that are hard to navigate. “Sometimes the assignments are confusing,” she says. “You may not know what it actually is, and then you have to wait until your Google Meet to see, which may not even be until the day before your work is due.”

When it comes to the workload, some students feel that it’s too much, while others believe it’s not all that bad. Sam Bertrand, a junior, feels like it falls somewhere in between. “The workload is not terrible, but at times it can be a little too much.” However, another junior, Alisa Drake, feels extremely overwhelmed. “The workload is actually very heavy. I find myself getting really stressed out, more than I would be normally in school.”

One thing that most students can agree on is that they miss having “normal school.” From seeing teachers, hanging out with friends, and meeting new people, many students miss the social aspects that go along with high school. Junior Liam Nesbitt sums it all up. “I miss the ‘real school.’ I need human interaction, not just socially, but for learning as well.”

During this pandemic  students are in all kinds of differing situations. While some may be personally dealing with the repercussions of the coronavirus, all are facing the struggle of changing routines and households under stress. Teachers and students alike have been struggling with this massive change, but by supporting each other and communicating, everyone is simply trying their best.