Rising Eighth Grader Reflects on Distance Learning
By Darcy Wright '25
Since schools were shut down in March due to Coronavirus, they had to resort to teaching online. Virtual classrooms and traditional school classrooms have pros, cons, and challenges. I learned that both appeal to different types of learners.
As a seventh grade Cooper student during distance learning, on Mondays and Tuesdays, I had three forty-five minute live classes for each subject, which my teachers held on Zoom. Wednesdays and Thursdays were devoted to completing asynchronous assignments. Teachers hosted optional Zoom sessions on Wednesdays to answer questions or review coursework. Assignments were due at midnight on Thursdays. On Fridays, there were mandatory advisory sessions and optional physical education sessions.
Assignments varied for each subject. Most assignments involved using Flipgrid or Edpuzzle. On Flipgrid, students had to create a video that summarized what they had learned. On Edpuzzle, students watched videos and answered questions. Math classes used WebAssign where students answered questions and submitted the assignment to their teacher.
There were benefits to online school. I had a more adaptable schedule, the ability to sleep later, and a more flexible grading system. Because I was not in school all day, I had time for other things such as reading, running, playing golf or practicing German. Class typically started at 9:45 a.m., which allowed me to sleep longer. Cooper understood that some students had scheduling conflicts so points were not taken off for late assignments. However, parents received an email if their child missed multiple classes or did not turn in assignments.
Some cons associated with online schooling included shortened class time, needing clarification about grades, and not seeing fellow students. Teachers could had shorter forty-five minute windows to teach the week’s lesson. Most of all, I missed seeing my fellow students. It was nice to see their familiar faces on Zoom, but the experience was not the same.
There were two challenges for everybody. Some students had issues when submitting their work online. Wi-Fi crashed a lot because of increased internet traffic, which was certainly the case in my house. This resulted in a missed Zoom class at times!
For restless kids, homeschooling was beneficial. They could listen to their teachers online while moving around comfortably in their home without worrying about getting in trouble. Since class time was shortened, they had plenty of time to exercise and release their energy. My older brothers loved having that freedom of movement. They also loved the ability to eat whenever they were hungry.
I am the type of student who loves learning within a school environment. It felt weird not to be on school grounds, and I realize now more than ever how much I missed it. I missed my best friends, the ability to see my teachers at my convenience, and the normalcy of pre-Corona life. This experience helped me better appreciate my school community, teachers, coaches, and fellow students at Cooper.
The John Cooper School
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
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The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
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