Due to COVID-19, Oakmont has been doing distance learning for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, affecting students in many aspects. 

“I am not enjoying online school,” senior Bella Gomez said. “I really thrive in environments with my peers and friends with a teacher at the front of the classroom.”

Most students can agree that they do not enjoy online learning and that it is essential to have the aspect of human connection in the classroom. However, new challenges have to come up that were never a problem before.

“The biggest struggle I am facing as of right now is the human connection aspect of learning,” junior Abigail Owen said. “It is a lot tougher to get the help you need when everything is through a computer screen and not as hands on.”

The hardest part of distance learning for a lot of students is being disconnected from their peers. Students used to be able to utilize their fellow classmates and teachers for help whenever deemed necessary. Now with the absence of face-to-face interaction, school has become much more challenging.

“My biggest struggle is probably the amount of work I have to do,” sophomore Shane Nibley said. “Sometimes I have a lot of assignments due in the same time frame so I have to do a couple hours of work to shave off the load of homework.”

Nibley, like many other Oakmont students, are struggling with the work they have to complete because some teachers assign more since students are at home.

“I prefer last semester because I feel the teachers really didn’t expect as much from us because of how crazy things were,” Owen said. “They also didn’t assign as much or as big of assignments as well.”

There are different views on whether students prefer the end of spring semester last year or the beginning of this year in terms of what the online courses looked like. A large portion of the student body prefer last year’s ways of online school, considering they were not required to be on Zoom everyday.

“I prefer this semester a whole lot more than the last,” Gomez said. “Last year felt very rushed with grading and learning. [I] genuinely could not tell you anything I learned last semester. This year is a lot more structured and I am actually learning.”

Whereas on the flip side, students can agree that last year they did not learn as much compared to this year. A structured schedule is very vital to some students as it can help students to feel more organized and prepared even in the comfort of their home.

“I’m all for going back to school with a hybrid model,” freshman Ankitha Innawalli said. “However, I’m not sure now is the best time to do it. Other schools who have adopted the hybrid learning schedule have already been sending students home. Not to mention, the two week quarantine if a student gets sick.”

Although hybrid sounds ideal, most students are not keen on the idea of having to wear a mask and social distance all day. Even though students and teachers are eager to get back on campus, many students feel it wouldn’t be the same.

“The thing I miss most about school is my friends and just seeing the beauty of the campus,” Nibley said. “The thing I’m disappointed about is not going to the school dances and the after school activities.”

Students can agree that being in the comfort of their own home has been enjoyable, but it has been hard not being on campus. From the big events of Homecoming Week to just passing by some friends in the hallway, Oakmont’s atmosphere is greatly missed by all. 

“I had expected my senior year to be a dream,” Gomez said. “I thought my friends and I would be in school and finally be the oldest at our school. I had also anticipated being a veteran in my drama class.”

That is what has been hardest for students, not necessarily online, but the year falling short of their expectations. Freshmen expected to get a fresh start and have a chance to make new friends, whereas seniors expected to have the time of their lives in 180 days, yet everything has flipped.

“Sometimes things happen and you just have to roll with the punches,” Gomez said. “I am just making the best out of the situation we were given.”