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Relaxing on the beach.

The past school year of doing virtual classes allowed me to do something that would have never been previously possible. With all my classes on Zoom, it became possible to travel in and out of state at any time throughout the school year. With the help of close friends already living in these places, I was able to travel to Hawaii, Tahoe, and all over the state of California. 

The convenience of having my classes all online allowed me to log in quickly from virtually anywhere as long as I had some kind of internet connection; this allowed me to take my schoolwork wherever I wanted to go. 

Some people may think that traveling while taking remote classes steers students off course and infringes on their productivity, yet almost always, this was not the case. 

Fellow Novato High remote student, Jordan Levin, shared his experience of attending classes while traveling. 

“I actually found it easier to travel and focus on my school work,” said Levin. “Remote learning actually motivated me to get my work done so I could seize the day.”

Because I was often traveling with friends, we all had classes and responsibilities to show up for and we were able to set aside the time to do the work without feeling unmotivated. It actually created more motivation and empowerment to be entirely on our own.  

All of my friends and I were still in school during our trip to Hawaii although we were in different stages of our education. We achieved this trip without tardies or absences, something that could only be done during this pandemic. 

“Online learning gave me the opportunities to pursue personal hobbies, focus on myself and allow me to do things I thought I never would’ve been able to do during school,” said Levin. 

All of us doing our learning remotely provided the flexibility to learn more about ourselves and experience something unique. This contributed to a true learning experience, one that can’t exactly happen inside of a classroom.

Former Novato High student Morgan Peterson, who was one of the older members on our trip to Oahu, shared her experience with taking college courses while traveling.

“Being able to spend more time out of the classroom helped allow me to learn other valuable lessons that you can’t find in a repetitive and confined school environment. Even though COVID-19 created a different learning experience, I’ve been able to learn a lot about myself and aspects of life I don’t think I would’ve otherwise,” Peterson explained.

All this being said, there were some instances where it was more difficult to attend class. On our trip to Tahoe, my schedule didn’t always align with my peers. This became an annoyance when our plans for the day wouldn’t always line up, with some of us being free while others still had work to do. This seemed like a mini hurdle in our fun, but when I would remind myself of the unique circumstances we were all in, it wouldn’t matter nearly as much. The concerns I had about missing out and having to attend class would vanish. 

This has truly been a year unlike any other.