The school year of 2021-2022 is a long-lost yet thrilling experience to return on campus and start the school year fresh for many George School students. In the past year, a handful of the students were distant learners, who were unable to be in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The first interviewee is a current international sophomore. She spent the first year at George School at home–Hangzhou, China, which has a 12 hours (13 hours during daylight saving) time difference than the United States.
Q1: Is in-person learning better than distant learning? Why?
“Yes. Because once you log out of zoom, you are isolated from the school vibe. Once you are on campus, you are so involved in the vibe and atmosphere. Sometimes you can say “hi” to your classmates, friends, and teachers on your way to class, you know, and have some catch-up conversations.”
Q2: Describe your daily schedule during distant learning
- 8AM: Get up if I had consultations with my teachers or I wanted to go to the library in the city /// 10-11AM: Get up if I had no particular meetings early in the morning.
- 11AM-1PM: Breakfast with Homework 🍽
- 1-3 PM: Freetime – Read📖/watch a movie*🎞
- 3-3:30 PM: An outside run🏃🏻♀️
- 3:30-4PM: A cool-down walk🚶🏻♀️
- 4-6:30: Freetime – Shower🛀🏼/nap/catch up with work (for quizzes and exams)
- 6:30: Dinner
- 8:30PM: Classes start
- 2ishAM (the next day): classes end and get ready for bed🌃
- 3-4AM: Sleep🛌
*Online learning as a freshman has light workload
Q3: What does distant learning teach you?
It taught me time management for sure. On top of that, it gave me more time to contemplate philosophical questions and more time to spend with family members and friends back home.
Q4: How was the workload compared to in-person classes?
Freshman year’s HW is relatively light. So compared to this year the workload is slightly less since it increases with your grade level.
Q5: Was this experience worthwhile?
I didn’t regret it. It was a very interesting experience. You couldn’t experience this kind of interesting experience very often in one’s life since you rarely encounter a massive pandemic like this. Life is short and you need to enjoy every moment.
The second interviewee is currently a junior international student who also lives in the Asia-Beijing time zone.
Q1: Is in-person learning better than distant learning? Why?
I like in-person study better over all, because I can interact with the teacher and the classmates. Online classes are mostly very boring and not as productive. I usually end up self-studying. On the other hand though, I like the self-studying aspect of online studying.
Q2: Describe your daily schedule during distant learning
I wake up naturally in the morning🌅, and do homework until lunch📑. After lunch, I take a nap🛏, and I study between 2pm and 5pm📚. Later, I have dinner 🍲and then start the zoom classes💻. I actually got more sleep back then.
Q3: What does distant learning teach you?
It taught me how to self-study and work independently. Because of the time difference, it is not as convenient to make appointments and the consultations aren’t as productive as I would like. So I wrote most of the Extended Essay independently, which is an important learning experience for me.
Q4: How was the workload compared to in-person classes?
I don’t think the workload is the difference. Instead, it’s the time to do work that’s different. As distance learners, we have at most 3 hours of class each day, and have the rest of the day or night to do homework, which makes the workload less overwhelming.
Q5: Was this experience worthwhile?
Yes, I learned a lot. Not a lot of people can experience online learning in such a special time. But it is lucky for me to have access to different apparatus, as not all children in this world have access to a personal laptop and high speed internet, and I’m very grateful for what I have.
The third and last interviewee is a senior local student, who remained online last year because of COVID restrictions.
Q1: Is in-person learning better than distant learning? Why?
For my style of learning, remote/online learning was not better than in-person classes, the class participation was low online and I felt as though I was both isolated from my classmates and my teachers— I find connections and good communication is what drives my learning and without this I developed a terrible work process which I still feel the repercussions of.
Q2: Describe your daily schedule during distant learning
During distance learning, I would spend time in classes in my room for the morning and in the afternoon would procrastinate homework in my room and hopefully do the work due, but the monotony of the situation and nothing exciting happening lead me to plateau in my growth as a student who has to complete work.
Q3: What does distant learning teach you?
Distance learning certainly clarified the problems I was already dealing with in terms of my homework planning, so seeing these preexisting issues surface and really hinder my performance in classes due to not getting to work on time was a learning opportunity for me.
Q4: How was the workload compared to in-person classes?
I think the workload didn’t change too drastically, I think this year’s in-person and last year’s distance classes have the same level of workload.
Q5: Was this experience worthwhile?
Honestly, I’m still working through whether the experience doing distance learning was worthwhile or not. On one hand, my productivity is slowly going back to before the online classes which makes me disappointed that the negative outcomes of distance learning have continued into my life even now. On the other hand, I am in a position where high school for me is a place to make mistakes and find underlying work ethic problems because my home and George School is a safe place to ask for help and find ways to combat these problems.
Distance learning certainly created a lot of obstacles for students. Being on campus again brought the former distant learners back to the normal pace of high school life. It is all our greatest hope and provision that the pandemic will recover soon, which will immerse the student body into the hustle and inclusive atmosphere once again.
