Imagine a student spending their whole life doing schooling at, well, school. As mundane as it feels, it has become what they expect, and what they’re used to. Then one day, they learn that next week’s classes will be done at home as a global pandemic begins to rise. They get by just fine during it but they miss the engagement, routine, hands-on help, and socialization of actually being at school. But then over the weekend, they hear it has just been extending for the rest of the month, and there are rumors it could carry out until the end of the school year. For people who prefer the hands-on, engaging, and routine aspects of school, they’ve just entered a nightmare.

Though it varies between people, many students learn and work better when it’s hands-on and engaging. Once you take away that learning environment, it becomes harder to understand and do the work. I personally feel more comfortable with the work being done when I’m able to ask the teacher for help or various questions. While it’s still possible to ask a teacher for help during digital learning, it’s now a harder task since they have to manage emails with every student. I also now have to consider any questions I could have off the bat because I wouldn’t want to bother a teacher with multiple emails asking a bunch of questions. 

Having spent my whole school-life doing the work at school, it’s also become a routine that is familiar and normal to me. Now that things are suddenly being done at home, online, and on our own time, it’s harder to find the motivation to actually do the work. In a school setting, I feel obliged to get the work done, whether it’s in class that day, or having it ready for the next day. But once that sense of need to do the work is gone, it becomes hard to find the willpower to get it done in a timely, efficient manner. This also carries over into many simple, everyday tasks from being trapped at home.

Not only that, but the digital learning, and quarantine, has been a damper on everybody’s social life. One reason, and for some may be the only reason, to miss school was the fact that it was a place to constantly see your friends. It was a place people could commonly be together and see people they may not normally see outside as easily. As if that wasn’t enough, being stuck home means there’s no chance to see people they normally would outside their home. Though calling and texting friends is easy to do, the loss of in-person social interaction has taken a toll.

That’s not to say that’s how it is for everyone, however. Other people, much like in the other article, are able to thrive during this time. They are able to focus on their work more with the time alone to personally learn and get done what they have to. On top of that, some people are able to make the most of the time stuck at home, and work on various personal things they want to do. 

While some people are able to make the most of it, it’s hard to deny that digital learning and quarantine time is a struggle for many. The lack of hands-on, engaging learning has made it difficult to do the work efficiently. The routine of going to school and having to get homework done in a timely manner makes it hard to find the motivation to actually get it done. And lastly, digital learning has taken away the social aspect of school that was a key reason for many to participate.