After completing a full semester of online learning, Naperville Central students got a small dose of normalcy with hybrid learning. However, like everything else in life, it has its ups and downs. 

Personally I’d like to believe that going to school in person is the most ideal option, but with the newly-enforced guidelines of COVID, is the hassle really worth it? 

To understand a student’s perspective, one must understand what a typical day looks like. First, the schedule is divided by last names, where the first half of the alphabet attends school on Tuesday and Wednesday and the second half on Thursday and Friday. Two days of school and two online, with the exceptions of Monday, where classes are fully online and students go to all eight periods (30 mins each). 3 days online and two in person. Sounds good so far. 

Upon entering the building, students must have their temperature taken and have their student IDs scanned. Next, it’s time to get to class. As if getting to class on time isn’t stressful enough, arrows have been placed throughout campus to help direct the flow of people. Certain stairs can only be used to go up while others can only be used to go down. Sorry freshmen, but this ginormous high school just got a little more confusing to navigate.

For the classes themselves, it’s kind of a bittersweet relationship. Some courses flourish with the hour and half periods, while others struggle to fill up the whole time slot, leaving students with a long duration of time to do absolutely nothing. On the bright side, you do get to see your friends, well from a six foot distance of course. 

“I mean, it’s great to see my friends and all,” junior Grace Ellinger said. “But after my two days are over, I’m happy to exchange in-person learning for an extra hour of sleep.” 

Personally, I choose hybrid learning. Solely because being online for  a full semester was detrimental towards my mental health. 

Also, I feel it’s important to note, from my perspective, teachers really are trying their hardest to make things a tad bit more enjoyable. I speak for a vast majority of students when I say it’s not going unnoticed. We appreciate you.

In the end, some will say its progress, some will say it’s even more dysfunctional than before. I guess you just gotta pick your poison at this point.