After the rapid outbreak of COVID-19, over 124,000 American public and private schools have been shut down. California has been placed under the “shelter in place” order, and most high school teens are spending every moment inside. Although many of these high school students hoped for the shutdown of school, what most teens didn’t realize is how this pandemic would impact their education and social lifestyle. 

High school classes dramatically changed from in-person teaching to online education. Although online education is a great learning experience for high school students, it can also be very difficult for many teens. 

Summit Schreck, a sophomore at Novato High School, shared his opinions about online education.

“Online education is harder than I thought it would be,” said Schreck. “Even though you have your own freedom to do your work at your own pace throughout the day, it is difficult to motivate yourself to get the work done.”

High school students are learning to appreciate physical school rather than online school, as this outbreak continues. Prior to the school closures, teens worked at a scheduled pace, asked questions in person, and gained a better understanding of school subjects while physically attending high school. Online education has allowed students to freely work during the day, often creating a loss of motivation and a decreased understanding of their school subjects.

Will Vasser, a sophomore at Terra Linda High School, explained his difficulties with online education. 

“Overall, I’d say it’s okay, but it lacks proper structure. I don’t feel like I’m learning much compared to normal school,” said Vasser. “Also, in some classes it’s a little confusing as to what exactly they want me to do. I’ve understood everything so far, but if I didn’t I don’t believe it’d be nearly as easy to ask for help from my teachers.” 

This Coronavirus pandemic has also changed how the younger generation views social interactions. After becoming placed under the “shelter in place” order, high school students realized just how serious COVID-19 was, and how being quarantined would affect their lives. The majority of high school students viewed these high school shutdowns as a vacation from their education, and an opportunity to hang out with friends. It wasn’t very long until these teens realized how wrong they were. 

Due to the shutdown of private and public high schools and shelter-in-place orders, high school students have had a great deal of time to desire physical face-to-face interaction that was previously available and underappreciated.  Live interaction helps teens build character, social abilities, communication techniques, and growth in one’s personality.