By Monika Gerges
As a result of COVID-19, schools in HBUHSD have shut down. The district has switched to the usage of online learning. Here is what some Barons think of the new distance learning protocols.
“I enjoy distance learning more than attending school because I can re-manage my schedule appropriately according to my school schedule, as well as the tasks needed to be done around the house. I genuinely do not like the way FVHS is managing distance learning because not enough announcements are being made by all teachers. From more difficult courses, not enough assignments are being given and students are not given the opportunity to raise their grades, even though they were not expecting their grades in March to be pretty much their final grades for the cut-short school year.
I have been managing my time throughout the week to complete all of my assigned homework because only some teachers are giving use a wider range of time to complete them. Additionally, they feel that they should be more flexible and understanding of these difficult times. Only some of my teachers have been teaching, for example my Alg 2/Trig teacher has been allowing us to copy down notes from Microsoft One Note and carrying out weekly meetings on Google Meets. My AP Euro teacher has been giving us plenty of assignments throughout the week to help us prepare for the AP Exam coming up and has been a great use of help. My Spanish teacher has been giving us homework and giving lectures through Loom. My tennis coach has recently started training us with workouts through Google Meet. The rest of my teachers have not been teaching us new information but has been giving us exams. I think distance learning is a greater method of learning, adding to the fact that many families are struggling during these trying times; however, I know that our school district, to its extent, is capable of improving teaching methods at the moment,” sophomore Michelle To said.
“I think distance learning has been going pretty well. It was kind of hard to adjust to it at first but after a couple of days I got used to the system. I like how the schedule is set up. Time is pretty flexible and rather than waking up at 6 every morning to go to class, I can get an extra 4 hours of sleep since it now starts at 10. Because I have an average of 2 classes a day, the amount of time it takes for me to complete their homework is significantly lower than of a regular school day. I would set aside 30-40 minutes of my time each day to complete an assignment for one of the classes I had that day. The majority of my teachers record lessons and post them onto canvas for us to watch. The others would host Google Hangouts and teach us from there,” sophomore Breanna Huynh said. 
“I think that distance learning is safer for all of us, but can definitely be hard to keep up with at times. I like the way FVHS is managing distance learning because most of my teachers are being very specific as to what they want and are always open to any additional questions. I think that I’m not managing my time as well as I could be. I have only been putting a few hours a day into working on school work though I know I could do more hours for less stress in the future. Once I wake up I eat breakfast then work on school work for a couple of hours. After that I do house work for a little while. By the afternoon I allow myself to have free time until I go to sleep unless I have more work then usual. Though what the teachers want is very specific and easy to follow, I believe that there is an increased amount of work that is given to the students than if we were in school,” sophomore Faith Martin said.
“I think distance learning, so far, has really been a learning experience. I get up every morning having to force myself to check Canvas and my emails when I just really want to stay in bed. My teachers are really understanding of the situation going on. They always try to make sure their students are not getting too much work to do because of everybody’s unique situation. Also, I think the rest of the FVHS staff are cool too. Dr. Smith is always sending in useful information about what’s going to happen and trying to motivate us to stay positive through his emails. And I can’t forget Dr. Lamar who has been sending in very informative information about AP testing. I’ve been waking up at eight every morning in order prepare myself for the day of homework ahead. I usually watch TV during noon and walk my dog around for thirty minutes after. Then, I do some more work. I usually get eight assignments to do in French, so I try to spread that all out in five days. I also get history and math assignments that I also spread out. I try to make each day as easy as possible for myself. My English and science classes are usually the ones I don’t need to look out for too much when it comes to assignments. However, when I do get work, I try to get it out of the way so that the rest of my week is easier. All of my teachers have been using either Zoom or Google Meets. It’s cool ‘cause I get to ask them any questions I have or just hang out. A lot of them have also been assigning work that’s due at the end of each week, which I find very convenient. Although I have to be really self-motivated, I think it’s great that we have weekly meet ups with our teachers in order for the learning process to feel like it’s an actual classroom setting,” junior Charlyne Nguyen said. 
“I have mixed opinions on it. While I like how we are able to carry on with schoolwork in the comforts of our own house, it also put me at a disadvantage in preparing for the AP Exam. I do what I always do when school is still in session. I write down all the tasks I have to do in my agenda and color code them red, yellow, and green. Red is for tasks that have to be done that day. Yellow is for tasks that are still important, but can wait a few days. Green is for things that are flexible. My teachers have been communicating with the students through Canvas announcements and meeting with students either on Canvas conferences or Google Meets,” sophomore Vivian Nguyen said. 
“it’s alright, there’s some parts that aren’t my favorite. I get to pace myself a little. There’s some days where I slack a lot others I’m really productive. My teachers have been teaching new information through Google Hangouts and Canvas,” sophomore Cynthia Nguyen said.
All photos were sent in by each student.
