Learning virtually has been an adjustment for everyone, but many students have welcomed this change.  

In an unprecedented, whirlwind of a year, Jones students continue on with school completely remote. CPS currently has no plans for all Jones students to return to in person learning. 

Camilla Marden ‘22 said she is actually more successful in remote learning compared to being in-person. She likes remote learning which has given her more time to study outside of class.

“I used to get up at six in the morning and come home at eight at night,” said Marden.  “I have absolutely no idea how I did that. I just can’t imagine doing that right now.”

Despite the extra time she has, Marden said  remote learning has tested her time management skills and required her to be increasingly accountable for her own work. 

“Accountability is something that’s changed for me when it comes to remote learning because now I need to be accountable for myself rather than just relying on my teachers,” said Marden.

Veronica Lamas ‘22 said her success in remote learning is attributed to the lightened amount of homework given to students. Even the stress of taking tests has been reduced in this online setting. 

“Before, tests were timed, but now a lot of them aren’t timed, so it’s a lot easier,” said Lamas.

Marden said teachers are far more lenient with students because they understand the difficulties of staying focused during this intense year. 

Although she enjoys remote learning, Lamas is concerned about how it has affected her relationships with teachers. 

“I still try to have my camera on most of the time and participate, but it’s still different; I probably won’t ask [any of my teachers] for letters of recommendation, which sucks because you kind of need to have letters from junior year,” said Lamas.

Overall, Lamas said remote learning taught her to appreciate her teachers more, especially the ones who are having a hard time teaching remotely. 

“It’s kind of sad when no one has their camera on; [some teachers] feel really frustrated, and I can see it, so I just feel more appreciation for them,” said Lamas.

Francis Brazas ‘23 said he has enjoyed the lack of social expectations that come with remote learning, such as not getting dressed for school, or getting up later.

“I think it has some advantages over real life school. If I was going to school in person I’d have to get up probably an hour earlier. Now I can just wake up at 7:30 and eat breakfast,” said Brazas.

As opposed to last March, when students and teachers were still adjusting to school from home, Brazas feels he has become accustomed to it and sees it as the new normal.

“Both online school and freshman year for me were very foreign and kind of scary, but I’ve learned to deal with them, and I’m used to it now,” said Brazas.

This is very different from Braza’s first time with online school,  where he was much more confused and overwhelmed with the new format.

 “I have no idea how this is gonna play out. This is probably going to be terrible and now I’m just like alright cool, go to school,” said Brazas.

Elliott Katz ‘23 also experienced this transition period between remote learning last spring and remote learning now.

“In the spring of last year, that was the hardest part in transitioning from going to school everyday to going to my [online] classes. It made it a big challenge to go from seeing everybody and talking to everybody to sitting with nobody and the cameras off,” said Katz.

Although Katz isn’t a fan of online school, he does appreciate its primary objective: to keep students safe.

“I definitely have mixed feelings about it. I think the best thing about it is that it is for our safety,” said Katz. “It is the best option.”