Day In The Life of Pinewood Student: Remote vs. Hybrid
To say that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the world would be an understatement. It has been less than a year since the virus emerged and just over six months since tracking began in the United States. We can all agree that in some way, shape or form, the coronavirus has made an impact on our everyday lives. Before the pandemic hit, students were used to attending school for seven to eight hours, five days a week. However, now they are faced with longer hours spent sitting in front of a screen, pandemic-induced hesitation, and mental health challenges. Here’s a pandemic-style day in the life of just a few Pinewood students.
Remote Students:
“I wake up around 7 a.m. and then play with our newly adopted dog, Molly. Before the pandemic, my daily commute to and from school was 2-3 hours. We didn’t have a dog because our family was out all day. Adopting Molly a couple of months ago is probably the nicest part of being stuck at home. I start Zoom classes around 8am, break for lunch around 11am, then I’m back on Zoom at noon and end for the day around 3 p.m. Without a commute, I am able to finish my homework earlier each night and have some time off to relax and chat with friends.
"Now that I’m a fully-remote student, I spend more time at home with my family, and we have essentially all of our meals together."
Now that I’m a fully-remote student, I spend more time at home with my family, and we have essentially all of our meals together. I stay active by playing basketball, going on walks, and rowing at home. I am getting more sleep than before the pandemic, but I really miss seeing friends and teachers at school. My best friend Sally stopped by my house this week to drop off gifts from the student leadership committees for remote students. I haven’t seen Sally since March, and it was so awesome to see her even for only a few minutes. I hope that conditions will dramatically improve, so that I can return to school soon.”
-Carolyn Steeg
“I wake up at 6:30 and get on zoom at 8:10 a.m. On day 1, I get out around 3 p.m. and finish up with my math class. On day 2, I get out around 1:30 p.m. and finish up with chem. Normally I’d end with physical education, but that’s fully asynchronous with just a video and three forms at the end of the week due. In certain classes, I get out a bit early (such as Spanish and art). Homework varies widely, and can take anywhere from one hour to four hours, but only if I end up not seeing something that was due, leading to me having to do multiple days worth of work.”
-Will Bull
Hybrid Students:
“As a hybrid student I get to school around 7:50 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays for the green cohort. Since upperclass students have a later starting time, I normally play some ping-pong or, on rare occasions, cram in some homework or studying before the first block. Classes start out a little different with everyone gathering on zoom for the first three minutes. But sooner or later after the lesson begins, class feels normal with the teacher going on with the lesson. On days where classes are split up asynchronous, it is pretty easy to forget that half of the class is missing, which I would guess means that the teachers are doing a great job under these circumstances. Depending whether it is day 1 or day 2, lunch break can come around pretty quickly. It is comforting to see most of the grades filling up their regular areas, showing that we still hold on to pre-coronavirus habits, just now spaced apart. Just like the first two periods, the last two go by, and soon enough the silent 3:10 p.m. bell rings, and it's time to go home.”
-Garret Sablich
“Being in the gold cohort, on Mondays and Tuesdays I have remote school. I start off the day waking up five to 10 minutes before school starts to get ready for my day. In synchronous classes, I have my camera on and mic off for most of the time; however, during asynchronous classes, I follow the agenda given by the teacher, sometimes zooming a friend to talk to while doing the work. During breaks, I call friends or catch up on unfinished school work. For lunch, I tend to FaceTime or zoom my friends to eat with them as if I was at school to still keep in contact with everyone. At the end of school, I try to get off my phone or any screens because I tend to have headaches from the lights from the devices.”
“For on campus days, I wake up about 30 minutes to an hour before I have to leave. I check off my checklist that lists things to bring to school like the panther band or a mask. When I arrive at school, depending if my temperature reading is working, I will check in with an adult at the front of the school. Classes are pretty similar to normal except they are distanced, and we sanitize often. (It does not feel too different from normal school). During breaks, I stand on a dot and talk to my peers and go to my classes about three minutes before they start. For lunch, I sit on the field on a dot and eat my food like normal, only taking off my mask when eating (and putting it back on when I am chewing). After school is over, I go home and finish my homework like normal.”
-Skyler Chui