For millions of students across the country, online school has become the new norm. Yet all internet connections are not created equal; for those with all three bars filled, it was the best of times. And for those who struggle to fill even one bar on a good day, it was the worst of times. After the first week of school, RUHS students now know in which group they belong.

Sarah:

“Your internet connection is unstable.” Tell me something I don’t know. 

Logging into my 7 a.m. zero period class on Wednesday, I was ignorant to the headache that awaited me. Every time I spoke, someone would remark—kindly or not—that my mic was cutting out, that no one could hear me and/or that I was going “robot.” As someone who used to enjoy participating in class, I now dread hearing my name called from a teacher. 

For better or for worse, I’m not alone in my troubles; it was particularly difficult to stop myself from giggling every time someone’s audio lagged, which made them sound… well, drunk. 

It stopped being funny when I realized, with not a little bit of horror, that I probably sounded like that too.

Alexis:

School from the comfort of my own home? Don’t mind if I do.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the district chose to move its classrooms to an exclusively virtual platform, and after ordering a new Wi-Fi router from Amazon, I couldn’t be more prepared.

As an introvert, I celebrated the district’s decision—I could wake up at 7:30 a.m., wear my pajamas to class, and avoid human interaction for a majority of the day. While I understand that staring at a screen for five hours and receiving instruction through pixels isn’t the optimal way to learn, there is something inherently charming about doing work in the setting you feel most comfortable in.

I’ll admit: I quite like distance learning, maybe even more than going to school.