With the ongoing global pandemic, we’ve all had some sort of new change that we’ve had to adapt to. For most of us reading this, it has been the transition to online school and the many challenges and benefits it has brought along.

When it was first announced that students would be going online I was pretty excited, this being because I have always wanted to give it a shot, so I saw this as my chance to finally be able to do this. 

At first, it was definitely hard. I think it’s safe to say that it was at least a bit difficult for everyone, mostly because none of us had ever done it before. 

After a few weeks I started to get the hang of things. I started to turn in every assignment, I became more focused than ever and I finally felt a huge sense of accomplishment because I was able to be independent and take care of my school work and pass all my classes without any extra help. 

On the other hand, online school started off difficult and remained difficult for a lot of people. This can be due to a lack of human interaction, not being able to stay focused, home conditions, etc. 

If you are having issues with online learning still then I have some tips that can help you improve your situation. 

Staying on top of your time can be hard but taking small steps to keep track of everything is very important, especially now that we have all the time in the world at home. 

One of the things that I do that helps me stay on top of things is creating an agenda. This helps me keep track of all my assignments on top of that I can also add things that I have going on outside of school. Writing everything down on paper really helps me remember all of the things I have to do. 

Along with an agenda for time management, a schedule that you stick by every weekday is also important. Nothing is worse than not knowing what your day will consist of, and to an extent, we truly never know, but it is a very good idea to start picking up a daily schedule and sticking by it.

Some benefits of a schedule include knowing exactly how much time you have to sort everything out for the day. You’ll also be able to cut back on some stress because you have a plan. In my opinion, keeping a schedule has helped me feel better about school, my errands, and overall has helped my mood stay positive.

Moving forward, staying disciplined and keeping your focus on school has been something that has plagued a lot of people. Current Agua Fria senior Jozalynn Guzman said, “I have trouble staying focused in class due to my surroundings, and it being such a new environment to do school work in.” 

I can totally relate to this as I found myself in the same exact situation.

One of the major things that helped me out was creating a designated area to do my school work. For example in your room, on a desk or any area that you know will help you stay focused. I would also advise you to try and clear as many distractions as possible, whether it’s putting away your phone, turning the television off, or closing the door to reduce noise.

For me personally, it greatly benefits me staying in one spot and reducing as many distractions as possible. I usually tend to have a good experience when I remove all distractions. 

We have all been missing human interaction and just the simple things that used to happen every day. Most of us probably don’t see our friends as much but a solution to this would be to set up an online study group. You can get on a call, talk and do homework and help each other out. 

I haven’t set up a study group yet but I can see why having one with friends can benefit a lot of people. It gives you a good feeling of seeing friends and having a human connection that we’ve all missed. 

There are a lot of things you can do to help yourself while doing school at home. Whether it be study groups, having a schedule or being organized. These are all things that carry benefits. You just have to find out what works best for your current situation.