Straight From The Source: How remote learning has brought me new success at school

I was used to waking up at 7 a.m. to just barely making it to my first class at 7:40. I would jump out of bed, change as fast as I could, and hop in my car ready to start my day.

By the time I got to school, I had already begun to hope that the day would go by as fast as possible, and in all of my classes, I would stare at the clock, wishing for the bell to ring just a little bit sooner. Once that final bell rang, I would sigh with relief, knowing that I was finally able to go home and relax.

If you couldn't tell just from reading the introduction, I have a rocky relationship with school. I constantly feel that I'm just going through the motions. It's the same routine every day. Get up, go to school, do homework, go to bed, repeat.

This becomes boring for me, and paying attention becomes difficult when I do the same thing day after day. Remote learning has given me the chance to almost create my own schedule, and I have found that I am getting so much more stuff done.

First things first, we all get to sleep in. The whole school starts 50 minutes later than usual, and I enjoy every second of that extra time.

Next, I can choose when I want to do things. Our district uses a schedule where we utilize A and B days. On A days we are synchronous on Zoom with periods 1,2,5, and 6, while the other classes assign assignments meant to do in their asynchronous class time. B days are the same, except we are live on Zoom with periods 3,4,7, and 8, while the other classes assign their assignments. Even though we are required to be on Zoom at certain times each day, I can do whatever I want during the other asynchronous class periods, as long as I submit my work by the deadline.

Most of my teachers have set our assignments to be due at 11:59 p.m. that night, so I usually take a break when I can to prevent stress. I am able to make a snack, go on my phone and talk to my friends in between live classes, and this has made my overall school experience so much more enjoyable.

I can do some of my classes for that day whenever I am feeling productive, and not just when I am told that I need to get some stuff done.

Finally, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have found that I am all around a happier person because I'm not as stressed as I used to be. I don't procrastinate as much as I used to, and I am able to see my friends more often since the school schedule is shorter than normal. This leaves me with more time to do homework, and once my homework is completed I can do whatever I would like to with my new found free time.

Overall, remote learning has helped me to like school again. My grades are improving because I am mostly able to work at my own pace, and my teachers respond to emails when I need help super fast, because they are on their computers just as much or even more than their students are.

I feel that I am learning the same amount of material, and it is also easier to grasp onto some concepts when I have so many new resources available to me. We also now have the ability to schedule online one-on-one Zoom meetings with our teachers if we feel that we need even more help, and I have found these to be extremely helpful.

Also, having the ability to create my own schedule has worked wonders for me, and I like being able to do things when I feel ready to do so. I have more time for my friends and family, and feel that I am able to balance school and social life way easier now.

Remote learning is the best option for me hands down, and I am happy to be doing my work from home.

• Jovanina Anesi is a junior at South Elgin High School.