Editorial: Take responsibility in new online learning

Something that junior high students need to remember is responsibility. With the onset of virtual education, most teens have decided to work from their bedrooms. Being at home opens a new door of distractions and possibilities for acting out. There are video games and all sorts of other distractions. Something everyone should always keep in the back of their heads is that they are responsible for their own education. They decide how much work they put into their assignments both in and out of school. Just because they are not physically in school, does not mean they should put in any less effort into their assignments. 

When it comes to the switch from in person school to online learning, a lot of students have been trying to sort out the confusion from the switch. A lot of the confusion comes from having to manage the workload while being at home. Even though students are doing their school work from home, the responsibility for them remains the same and even becomes a little greater. So students are learning to manage their time throughout the day. One thing kids should make sure they are doing is getting their work done on time, but also eating three meals a day and taking a few minutes break here and there. Students should keep track of when their work is due and contact their teachers about things that confuse them. Teachers are willing to work with and help students with problems or questions they may encounter during online learning. 

Some students believe they are receiving more work now than they would be if they were in school. This isn’t necessarily true though. Students are used to going to school and having the same routine everyday. The change from mandatory times and schedules to a free lance atmosphere can change a student’s perspective on how they look at and focus on their work. It’s almost like looking at a full plate with an empty stomach compared to a full plate with a full stomach. Motivation is key to these online assignments. Since students are stuck at home now, time is no longer an issue.

Keeping up with the assignments given is a big deal. Students should not ignore the assignments their teachers assign to them on a daily basis. If students want to just ignore the assignments, they should not be surprised when their grades drop. Students should try  to wake up at an early time to finish their assignments and have as much free time as they want. Also, they shouldn’t forget to check their grades to see their missing assignments and how well they are doing in school. Students should just be more serious and productive when it comes to doing online school assignments.  

For some people, keeping up with the workload is hard. They think they have too much work or there are too many distractions around. To minimize distractions, turn off notifications on your phone or turn it off. If parents keep interrupting you, ask them politely to let you be for an hour. Break up your work and do it by period. If you have math in first period, do math work first. When you get to the time where you would normally have lunch, get up and walk around for five to ten minutes to give yourself a break. 

For some students they might have issues with time management and responsibly with classwork.  Some students wait until the day all their work is due to do it all. More teachers should break up the work daily so they have it do then not the last day of the week. Students should realize that each assignment is pass or fail and not doing them could really hurt their grades. Keep in mind that assignments are now worth one to 10 points building a pass or fail grading system.  Rise to the occasion and imaging a fourth marking period report card with all 100% grades.