BEEP! BEEP! Eyes peel open, blinded by the light of electronics. Login. Join meet. A welcoming monotone voice says, “Good morning class, today is an A-day, don’t forge–” end call.

Juniors like Ryan Croson agree that days seem repetitive as well as increasingly stressful. Distance learning was a necessary change made in 2020 because of the ongoing Covid- 19 pandemic. Some students have adapted and thrived, while others cannot say the same.

Distance learning has afflicted more than just juniors. Though the course load of eleventh grade should be the hardest to impress colleges, there has been some debate on who has had the worst year. 

“I think we are tied with freshman year,” Croson said. “Junior year is supposed to be your hardest year of high school, now that we are at the disadvantage of distance learning it’s definitely more challenging. Being a freshman, this is their first year of high school, so they didn’t even know what to expect.”

Junior Lara Moore has a different perspective.

“I think that the seniors have,” Moore said. “We still have a chance of next year being semi normal, but the seniors, it’s there last year. They kind of thought things would get better for them but it really hasn’t.”

Croson said he feels like he is benefiting from distance learning due to focusing on specific skills needed to progress through the year, such as communication, time management and  self advocating.

“I would say that we are learning to fight for ourselves and self advocate because we have to work on our own now,” Croson said.  

Since teachers are restricted by screens, it is up to students to develop and practice skills needed for after the pandemic.

“I think I’ve learned a lot of things because of the pandemic that I probably wouldn’t have learned, like how to manage not seeing people and being social,” junior Laura Stark said. 

However, the current advantages of distance learning can turn into disadvantages.

“We’re in our own homes so that can seem like an advantage at first,” Stark said. “You can be comfortable and eat whenever but that can also be a disadvantage because there are so many distractions around you.”

Complete distance learning during 2022 may cause some problems for the rising seniors.

“I’m so used to being able to go back and look up videos or go through a slideshow with distance learning, that in person, things might be going a little bit faster, and I wouldn’t be able to catch up,” Croson said. 

Some juniors are trying to stay on top of these unpredictable changes when it comes to their senior year. Many predict a 100% distance learning model or some sort of hybrid format for 2022.

“I think the most we’re gonna be able to do is go back for maybe hybrid depending on how bad things get this summer,” Moore said, “But I doubt that we’re going to go back full time, just because of how constantly the cases are changing.”

Stark said she feels trapped in her home and worries that she won’t experience the senior year she hoped for. 

“I’m most nervous about missing out on all the experiences and memories like pep rallies, football games and stuff,” Stark said. “Those are the things you remember most about high school.”

Stark agrees it’s ironic how much students miss “normal” school, it’s similar to the idea that you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone but in reality you know what you had, you just never thought you’d lose it. 

“It (distance learning) was in some ways a wake up call because other little things that I hated about high school, in the past, are the things I miss the most,” Stark said. “It kind of makes you value what you didn’t realize you had.”