With the option to remain virtual this year, some kids have not set foot inside of a classroom in over a year. COVID has clearly disrupted our typical school routine this year, and most likely the future. Through attending over a year of virtual school, I have realized that people learn through changes. Some people have decided that it is easier to learn from home, in a quiet setting by themselves. On the other hand, others have learned how hard it is to sit at home with no social interaction for hours on end. In my opinion, the school trends that we should keep from this unordinary school year are taking Wednesdays off, having the ability to stay home and virtually attend school, and the dependence on technology for our schoolwork.

   I believe that I can easily speak for many students and teachers when I say that taking Wednesdays off is a great idea. First of all, it helps everyone to catch up on work/studying. In many cases, students could have a test on Thursday or Friday and after-school activities and homework, it can leave you with virtually no time to study. That is how taking Wednesday off is convenient, academically. Taking Wednesday off is also nice when it comes to your health and well-being. It gives everyone a better chance to sleep in, helping students’ energy levels and increasing participation levels.

   I also believe that having the ability to stay home and join class virtually could be used to our advantage. You should not be able to stay home just because you are tired though; you must have valid reasoning. For example, in past years if you were sick, you would miss all instruction and teaching for the entire amount of time that you were gone. Now, with experience with virtual teaching from google meet, I think that kids should be able to hop into class from home to ensure critical instruction time is not missed. Virtual schools are also being developed and becoming more prominent throughout the nation. This is beneficial for students who believe that it is easier for them to get work done on their own, for kids who might need to take care of other family members, or for kids who don’t feel comfortable with the social interaction of school.

   Finally, I believe that the idea of having all of our assignments, assessments, and calendars online would be a huge benefit. My reasoning for this is that throughout this year, I have realized that having all of my assignments on Google Classroom has made it very easy for me to stay organized. I never have any late assignments because I just go to my calendar and then check what is due that day. Another reason for continuing school’s reliance on computers is that any writing assignment can be done online quicker compared to paper.  Finally, increased use of technology means a decreased use of paper. This is good for the environment because fewer trees would need to be cut down, meaning more photosynthesis and decreased global warming.

   While I believe that the trends shared in this article should be kept, there are also ideas that I dislike. I look forward to the day when I do not have to wear a mask in school, as I assume many other people do.  I also dislike the introduction of three lunches instead of two because it limits the number of friends that we are able to eat with. The 2020-21 school year has not been anything that we assumed it would be but hopefully, we can learn from it and work to improve it for our future students and teachers.