COVID-19 has had a large impact on schooling. The Plain Local School District has switched to online schooling during the pandemic. This has been a huge change in the lives of many students.

“I’ve found it difficult to stay motivated on my work because of the lack of a schedule, and I’ve found it difficult to teach myself at times,” sophomore Juliana Castro said. “I feel that it’s much easier to learn when I have more time with the teacher compared to the short videos and articles for online learning.”

Many different things have caused stress for students. Every single student faces challenges when it comes to school and online school is no exception.

“Tests,” sophomore Madison Donnelly said. “I’ve had two and I’ve been super stressed for both because there’s really no way to check with the teacher really fast on something before you start.”

There has also been the age old problem of trying to focus. This has a big effect on students during a normal school year but the problem has only gotten worse without a normal routine being enforced.

 Students such as sophomore Haley McNichol have had trouble focusing on assignments while being at home. 

“All I have learned through this Corona break is that I would suck at homeschooling,” McNichol said. “I don’t manage school related stress during normal school, let alone now. But I guess just by doing my homework makes me feel better.”

Stress and doubt can easily get in the way of school work. There is one huge problem that has plagued students for years, procrastination. 

“I feel like it really has been hard to adjust to online schooling as it can be difficult to motivate yourself to do the work when out of school, so procrastination becomes a much larger issue.” Castro said. 

Not everything about online schooling is bad. 

“It’s been a little difficult to adjust but it’s not all that bad,” sophomore Shawn McArthur said. “Most of the online things are a little tedious to get to the work”

Some students are having trouble finding anything negative about the current situation.

“It’s been a change for sure, I wouldn’t say it was hard for me personally, but I can see how people would struggle,” Donnelly said.

There are many different ways to avoid school related stress during the quarantine. One of the best ways to reduce stress is to take a break. There are many different things to do that can help take your mind off of school and ease you of stress. Online schooling allows students to take their time with their work and switch easily from subject to subject.

“I’ve enjoyed being able to take things at my own pace, which gives me more time to work on the things that give me the most trouble, and I have more free time.” Castro said.

McArthur suggests focussing on the end of the school year and keeping different goals in mind.

“I think that you still have to take school seriously, even though we might not go back this year, we still have a whole nine weeks to finish and it’s important to keep up on material,” Donnelly said. “I recommend doing things on a schedule, and in the same place every day, it keeps you in a good headspace to get things done.”

One of the most powerful weapons against school related stress is a positive mindset. 

“During online schooling, make sure to keep a positive attitude towards learning, as there is still so much to learn about in the world,” Castro said. “Don’t give up on learning because of the pandemic, it’s still very important and necessary.”