While students at WCHS have begun to go back to school as COVID cases and restrictions decline, other students are continuing to learn from the comfort of their homes. Because of this new schedule, a wide debate has developed about which type of learning is better, in-school learning or virtual.

WCHS junior Kaveh Farahifar and others agree that being back at school felt unusual after the first few days, but it is absolutely more beneficial than online learning because hearing a teacher lecture through a screen is getting difficult.

“My first day back went good,” Farahifar said. “I didn’t mind virtual school, but I was more focused on completing my work with less distractions being present in school.”

While there are some that enjoy being back at school, there are also students who went back to school for a day, and decided to switch back to online school because they did not enjoy the new restrictions.

“There are some downfalls to going back however,” Farahifar said. “At first it was fine, but then lunch was a bit strange. There are two blocks for lunch so you only have about 25 minutes to eat.” 

These complaints were addressed by the scheduling staff by adding an extra 5 minutes to lunch, so that the second block wasn’t rushed during their lunch.

While the in-school students are adjusting to their new schedule, on the other side of the spectrum, some believe that there is nothing wrong with virtual learning. In fact, they are actually thriving and doing better during remote learning.

“I like being online much more than being in school when it comes to being educated,” junior Rohan Daftary said. “I know that there are some that disagree but I like that I can organize the work that I have to do better when online.”

A study done at Michigan State University mentioned research has shown that students in online learning performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction, but the lesson has to be instructed correctly with little to no distractions.

“I personally like online learning a lot because it’s much easier to control your own schedule and do your work at your own pace,” Daftary said.

It is very subjective what a student prefers, and it is purely based on what works for them. For some that means online learning because they are able to adjust better to learning remotely, while being at the comfort of their house; whereas others prefer being in school because they enjoy the relationship aspect of school and gaining new friendships.

“I do miss the interactions with my friends and talking to my teachers everyday,” Daftary said. “That is something that virtual learning can’t compete with.”

The results of the WCHS Google form given to students to see how many students wanted to go back certainly reflect how divided the students are when it comes to what they prefer. Back before students were back at school, the survey showed that it was pretty much split 50/50 on whether they would go back or continue virtual.

“I felt safe at school when it came to COVID-19 protocol and safety,” Farahifar said. “I hope that eventually there can be more people at the school.”

In conclusion, there are plenty of pros and cons when it comes to staying online and vice versa. As the vaccine distribution progresses and things are returning to normal, it is only a matter of time before everyone is back in school.

It has recently been noted by MCPS that they will be working on some type of school system for students who still want to continue online schooling for next school year due to preference or underlying conditions.

“Even though it’s so different at school, I’m just happy that things are returning back to normal,” Farahifar said. “It felt good to walk through the doors again and do some of the daily routines I used to do over a year and a half ago.”