Instead of coming back to in-person school on Monday, Jan. 4, the Kingswood Oxford School decided to do a week of online school. Aside from this being a great way to slowly adjust back into the school routine after a long break, it was a way to ensure safety to all members of the KO community.
The holiday break gives students time for their brain to relax and take a break from rigorous learning. With that being said, I find it challenging to hop right back into learning and the school schedule after being on break for so long. However, a week in an online learning environment immediately following the holiday break was a great way to get back into learning. Online school allows students to wake up later and take longer breaks in between classes, allowing their brain to rest and bring more focus to the next class. Having shorter classes all while learning new material is also a plus. Online learning “wakes up” your brain and gets you ready for what is to come.
I know the overall goal of a week online was the safety of the students and faculty, but there were other benefits that came out in the end. I think the school did a great job of making sure all members of KO would be safe upon the return to campus by having us fill out our Ascend app every day. Taking a week online allowed people to develop symptoms if they were exposed to COVID-19 and ensured that it was not brought onto campus. The school also alerted the students and staff when there was a case of COVID-19 contracted by a member of the community, which would make all of us want to do better and be more careful.
Upon returning to campus, I felt safe and ready to engage in learning. I knew the school was doing everything they could to make sure we were safe including distancing rules, mask mandates, daily Ascend check-ins, lunch table sign-ups, and more. With the week online that took place, I was confident that if symptoms popped up for anybody from the holidays, that it would be caught and dealt with appropriately.
On top of feeling safe, my mind adjusted to the school routine during the week online. It is always a challenge to go back and get used to full school days after long breaks. I was already used to waking up earlier and doing work, so getting back in the classroom was not a strange feeling. The hardest part was adjusting back to the 75-minute classes because, by that point, it was three weeks since we’d had one.
In conclusion, the week of online school was a success. While I don’t like online school permanently, taking a week to ensure the safety of everyone in the community was well worth it. In addition to the safety benefits, the week online got me prepared and ready for what was to come in the future weeks during in-person school.
