Students have started their past school years knowing what to expect. This year was very different for many of the students, as they went from hands-on learning and group work to being no less than 6 feet apart from each other. The Huron Valley district gave students and their families an option for the school year of 2020-21 to either enroll in virtual schooling or hybrid learning. While many students chose hybrid learning, students were disappointed that they were suddenly switched to online learning for 4 days a week.

Students this year have had a very hard time with socializing and interacting with their peers. The COVID-19 guidelines including wearing masks, social distancing, and using partitions are hindering socialization that is needed for students of the high school ages. The strict restrictions on audiences at sporting events and other activities have made it hard for students to look forward to school. Students don’t have the opportunity to attend high school events that make life-long memories. The graduating seniors this year not only missed out on more school days, but their last nine fun nights of football games. These games are an opportunity that many students take to meet more people and experience fun times with not only their class, but the whole school and community. This year, especially for seniors, is very depressing and the new learning experience has not been ideal.

The Huron Valley District kept the school and community closed off. Students have been saying they lost their chances to experience new things. Milford senior, Lauren Malkowski, said, “It started off pretty rough, but it slowly got better and better.” Not just the students think that the school’s new way of learning is inefficient. Parents also argue that students don’t receive as much teaching as they need when they only see their teachers twice a week. Teachers try to reach out through online resources such as Google Classroom, Remind, and even by emailing parents. No matter how many online resources the district can provide, it just doesn’t help the students as much as being able to speak with their teachers in person. Some have found that the online resources can be hard to comprehend and it doesn’t match their learning styles. 

Senior Lauren Wood from Milford High School who participated in the HVVA said, “It is helpful to see my teachers four days a week, however it is challenging communicating with teachers outside of the Google Meets as they have claimed they have too many emails to be able to answer in a timely manner.” This is why going back four days a week is going to be beneficial for the students and teachers. 

In conclusion, school has just been very rough for everyone this year for students and their families, each having to get used to the schedule changes. Now with hybrid going to four days of school, starting on November 9th, hopefully students, parents, and staff members will see a beneficial difference.