March 2020 brought severe life changes for students. Throughout online learning, many have struggled to keep their motivation up to the same level as during in-person schooling. 

“Online learning three days a week was really hard for me. I really felt like I wasn’t learning anything near as much as I needed to be, but I don’t blame my teachers. I just don’t learn well that way,” junior Aubrey Kress said. 

Junior Neil Sinclair had a different perspective on online learning.

“I for one never lost motivation in online learning. It actually worked better for me,” Sinclair said. 

Both juniors had different experiences throughout hybrid learning, Kress, with an above-average workload, and Sinclair, with more of his average amount.

“This year my workload is about the same,” Sinclair said. “It isn’t too bad for me to complete, but I can understand why others might have issues.”

The workload isn’t the only variable that affected their performance over at-home learning. Motivation has a big impact on how well one can handle learning from a screen.

“I feel like last year I was significantly more motivated than this year,” Kress said. “I think that’s because last year we ended with online, but this year we started with online, so it was really hard to figure out a routine again.”

Many students need a routine to follow, much like Kress. 

“I am definitely more motivated now back to five days than before. I have a routine now and it’s easy to stay on task. Going back five days a week has been really beneficial for me,” Kress said. 

Overall, quarantine affected everyone in different ways and caused students to learn a new way to motivate themselves while learning from home.