With as many changes hybrid learning has caused students, it is nothing compared to the dramatic change that comes with being a fully remote student. Whether the decision was made before the school year kicked off or was within the first couple weeks of school, remote learners have a unique school year. 

Student Experience

There were various reasons students switched to online. Whether it was because of their full time jobs, home life, sports, or various personal reasons. 

“I chose online because I’m doing Washburn Tech, and I’d only be attending for three hours, two days a week,” Hanna Lyman, junior, said. “It was a waste of gas, and it just made more sense.” 

Other students switched to online due to taking on more responsibilities and jobs. This has allowed some students to become more independent. 

Sophomore Emma Graff has had an extremely positive experience with remote learning.

“Online school has taken away from a lot of stress from in school activities and I think actually made my relationship with my parents better,” Graff said.

Students are not the only ones affected by completely remote learning. Some may wonder what it’s like for counselors and teachers to interact with students. Laurie Crimmins shed a little bit of light on what counselors do daily for online students.

“Each counselor has a group of remote students and check in with those kids every day during their T-Bird Time. That’s their T-Bird Time group, the remote group. And then counselors monitor their Edgenuity progress everyday,” Crimmins said.

Approximately 150 students have switched to remote learning. Though most of these courses are taken through Edgenuity, and students doing remote learning are not taking the same courses as the ones in hybrid, some teachers have in person and online classes.

“I have 2 in college 101 class that are fully online. They basically just do basic assignments. They have called in a couple times for days like when we talked Mexican Independence Day,” Anne Vetter, Spanish teacher, said.

Final Statements

Settling into week eight of the school year it is easy to say that students, whether in person or online, have had enough time to gather an opinion on their schooling situation.

“I honestly think that it’s great, I think it’s a really refreshing change from last year,” Graff said.” I believe me personally online school has been a better option.” 

Lyman has a similar stance on the topic.

“I love online school,” Lyman said. “My grades are the best they’ve ever been, because it’s giving me the opportunity to actually learn, since we are going at our own pace.”