Ever since COVID-19 forced people to stay home and social distance, there has been a considerable debate about whether schools should allow students to attend in-person classes. When the vaccine came out, it became apparent for the majority of people to get vaccinated. As a result, many schools opened back up to the public. With the safety precautions in place, I believe that in-person school is a much better option than virtual learning.

When inside a classroom, I can focus much more on what I am learning. During Virtual Academy, I would be distracted by many noises and activities around me, such as pets running wild and other meetings that my parents would have, so I could not concentrate on my class. Most of the time, I would procrastinate and do my assignments later that day instead of finishing them after class. Additionally, students had to teach themselves during Virtual Academy because Apex Learning was a self-teach program, and we would have to read the information. In contrast, students attending in-person school now have a teacher to guide them if they need help. Completely online learning was highly detrimental to my education, especially since I had no teacher to ask questions throughout the course of the year. I would struggle with many lessons, and the teachers would be no help because it would not be a subject they teach. As a result, the teachers would tell me the answer from the answer key, as if that would be helpful. It was a waste of time asking them questions, so I would have to look up the explanation to the answer on Google. Moreover, in-person teaching is preferable to online school because I have a routine as well as support when I need it. The schedule helps me stay on track, and I can learn and focus more efficiently.

All-in-all, in-person school has been much more efficient in teaching me the curriculum and getting help from teachers in person when I need it has been much more efficient than reading information. It has kept me more organized and on track, and I can collaborate with peers to understand the material better, which is why I firmly believe that online school was a complete waste of time and that in-person school is much more effective for students’ learning.