The pandemic forced all students online to continue their education. After the pandemic, most students returned to traditional school, while a few have lingered in the online learning environment. Currently, there are 33 students at PHS participating in virtual learning.
Before this year, virtual school had a little under 30 online students; however, the number changed often last year. There are already more students enrolled than last year, and students are still continuing to become virtual.
Thirty-three does not sound like a lot of students, but when asked, 47.8% of the media staff admitted that they had at one point or another considered going online themselves.
While nearly half of our staff have or are considering online schooling, some reasons keeping them from committing are the lack of social interactions.
The fear of missing out was a big concern for our staff. Roughly 60% of our staff mentioned that a reason for staying on campus was their social lives. We wonder how not being able to see friends or teachers every day would affect our mental health, learning, and missing out on connecting or interacting with people.
Based on the types of questions our staff has, we question whether going virtual actually helps students learn.
Many of us wonder whether instructors attempt to prevent cheating on assignments or exams. If not, students cheat and do not retain any knowledge. Earning credits is good, but not being able to be successful at the next level might not be worth it.
Another thing the Media Department questions is the schedule and workload of virtual students.
How do students manage time to get their work completed without a looming deadline from a teacher?
Overall, we are skeptical about whether going virtual can truly help students learn at the same level as those on campus and if it fully prepares students. We do not feel there is enough evidence to prove or disprove whether PHS students will succeed or fail through virtual schooling, or if it is an effective way of learning, but we are interested in the possibilities it opens for students who benefit from it.
