During Country Day’s first semester, in fall 2020 and continuing into the spring of 2021, it created two schedules for students and teachers: the remote schedule and the hybrid schedule. Both schedules impact the routines and daily lives of students.
The most notable differences are between the lunch times, the sleeping times, the time for commuting to and from school and the time to do school work and homework.
Whether working at school or at home, students need time to do their homework and time to focus during those periods of work. Freshman Eshaan Dhaliwal, full-time remote student, said he enjoys the remote schedule.
“I feel like you’re able to get more work done in between classes. Because at school you aren’t able to get work done during breaks,” Dhaliwal said.
Although he has more time to work on homework and projects, he has less time to interact with classmates.
It’s not really that easy online,” he said. “If it’s a class, you don’t really interact with people. You just do your work in class and then move on,” Dhaliwal said.
Dhaliwal said that he didn’t make good use of his time last semester in the remote schedule. He said that while social interaction is important, he’d rather make use of his time well.
Freshman Imani Cochran, a student who has experienced both the hybrid and remote schedules, said it is easier to learn in the hybrid schedule because of the in-class interactions. She prefers the in-person learning over the Zoom learning because of the social aspect.
“It’s easier to learn more. Your teacher is right in front of you, and you’re not staring at a computer screen,” Cochran said. “It’s a lot more engaging.”
The commute time is also altered by the schedules. While students in the hybrid schedule have to commute to school, students in the remote schedule only have to move around their rooms.
Sophomore Jiayu Tang, a student who has experience with both the remote schedule and the hybrid schedule, prefers the remote schedule over the hybrid schedule. He also enjoys the time flexibility that the remote schedule adds.
“I don’t need time to commute; I don’t need to go to a classroom,” Tang said.
Another major time difference between the schedules is the lunch time. Tang cooked and prepared his lunch during the remote schedule.
“If it is a hybrid schedule, I only have 25 minutes, so I can cook it and just heat up some frozen food so I can catch up, so I can go to the fourth class in the day,” Tang said, who decided to stay remote.
Another student, senior Connor Pedersen, who has experienced both schedules, dislikes both lunch schedules.
“The remote lunch time is too long and the hybrid lunch time is too short,” Pedersen said.
Pedersen said that the remote schedule forced him to stay home and not be able to pick up food.
He also said that while he had less lunch time, he did have one positive with the remote schedule. He had more time to do homework, but he had less class time to help him prepare for and understand concepts for his tests.
“The testing and homework load are very similar for both schedules,” he said.
Cochran experienced a change in sleeping schedules due to the different school schedules. The time differences between the schedules, especially with the home days and school days of the hybrid schedule, create a disrupted sleep schedule for her.
“I don’t really have much of a sleeping schedule, so it varies,” said Cochran. During in-person school days, she goes to sleep at around 10 p.m.
Pedersen said that he has a more organized and defined sleeping schedule in the hybrid schedule than he has in the remote schedule.
“For people who like order, organization, the schedules can be a little much to go between them.”
—Ishaan Sekhon
