The student body at Roseville Area High School had a change in the way they did school during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the RAHS academic calendar the last half of the 2019-2020 and the first two trimesters of the 2020-2021 school year class was held virtually. 

Holding class virtually meant students would log into zoom from home every day to attend class. Class material had to be cut because there was not enough time to do the normal in school curriculum. The district’s decision to have students attend school from home was done in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Most people interviewed agreed that distance learning made it very difficult to focus on class.

A 12th grader, Janine Provencher, stated, “My ability to focus was already rough before but distance-learning made it so much easier for me to not have to focus on anything. I could just sit in class and do nothing. I think my motivation levels in general went down.”

A 10th grader, Tessa Chase, who was a freshman during distance learning said, “Having all different types of technology around me like my phone made it super hard to stay focused. It was very hard to pay attention and get work done.”

It was very rare that a student would make efforts to improve their ability to focus. Most students just simply accepted the new way of life. 

Chase, one of the singularities, noted, “I made my parents take my phone away and I put screen time on it too so it shut off after a certain amount of time.”

The new way of life mentioned previously was very similar with all students interviewed. 

A 12th grader, Quinn Waller, summed up his routine, “For all of distance learning I slept on a couch because it was easier. I would stay up until 2am every night, wake up at 8:55, turn on my computer and put it in my lap, and then sit with my eyes half open watching the teacher for the first hour. I would make breakfast and watch YouTube on my phone while watching zoom. That was my life for 9 months.”

Waller then elaborated what attending distance learning classes was like, “A couple times I literally fell asleep during class and woke up to the teacher saying ‘Quinn, Quinn….’ It was not a great time.”

The predominant idea conveyed about academics from distance learning was learning was lost. Teachers had to cut their curriculums short, students had trouble focusing in class, and the general motivation plunged. With the school year following distance learning still young, it is difficult to gauge the effect it will have on students.