As students advance into the second semester, they face the precarious decision of choosing from the learning options: Seminole Connect, Face to Face, and Hybrid. Before finalizing one learning option, it is necessary to evaluate the positives and negatives associated with them. 

Face to Face

Many students are looking forward to following the ordinary school routine in the second semester as sitting in front of a screen without real interaction with friends can be frustrating. All students and faculty on campus are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Teachers have set each desk apart and encourage the students to sanitize. The main advantage of this learning option is the sense of normalcy. However, the disadvantage is the risk from the COVID- 19 virus. A high number of returnees are expected for the second semester. With increased students, it will be harder to maintain social distancing. Thus, many have decided to stay safe by staying home.

Lucy Guo, an IB sophomore, acknowledges, “I am choosing Seminole Connect because I don’t want to risk contracting covid, and I am learning pretty well with it”

Seminole Connect

For some students, this option was extremely convenient because they can easily participate and complete work from the comfort of home without any risks.

Guo shares an advantage, “I get to wake up later. I used to have to wake up at 5:30 to catch the bus, but now I can sleep till 6:30 to get ready and still be on time.”

However, on the negative side, internet glitches are a significant issue that all teachers and students struggle with. Given the current circumstances, most teachers are considerate and provide various alternatives and solutions for potential tech issues. These include recording the meetings, accepting different file types, allowing both- digital and paper- notes, and actively responding to emails for other concerns. 

Guo recounts, “It is hard to deal with my wifi dropping. Sometimes the teacher will be teaching and my wifi will go out, and I end up missing a lot of information.”

Another complication for teachers is managing multiple Skyward grade books and Ecampus assignments. Students in Connect have a different grade book from those in Face to Face, which requires double exertion. 

But for how long are students going to continue distance learning? As the year continues, students at home are getting tired and lonely. This explains the recent surge of students back into classrooms for the second nine weeks, as “more than 4,500 Seminole County students [chose] to return to school in October” according to ClickOrlando.com.  

However, just as students were hoping for the pandemic to calm, USA COVID-19 cases hit a record daily high, with 100, 000 new COVID – 19 cases being reported recently. SHS, itself,  has experienced eight total cases according to the SCPS COVID – 19 Dashboard. This has the primary concern for all students. As communities begin to reopen, people are understandably eager to go out and resume their regular activities. Naturally, with the greater influx of students in school, the probability of the virus spreading gets higher as there is no effective therapy or vaccine available yet. Realistically, as more students enter the classrooms, social distancing will also become harder to maintain. Thus, wearing masks is the most crucial precaution that should be taken. 

In essence, the risk of the virus continues, but it can be tackled by following the safety guidelines. For students choosing Connect, it is crucial to put phones away to limit distraction and ensure full participation, whereas Face to Face students should wear masks at all times and sanitize their hands periodically. 

The deadline for choosing the learning option is Monday, Nov. 9 at 11:00 pm. And for families choosing to return to Face to Face learning, the on-campus classes will begin Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.