At the start of the second quarter, the school made a decision to have partial asynchronous days on Wednesday, relieving both students and teachers, allowing us to take a nice break from Zoom. With all the extra time students have after ending school at 10:45 a.m., it’s interesting to see how each individual spends their time away from the computer. 

Vega Baker, a sophomore attending LHS, spends her time hanging out with friends or relaxing at her house, enjoying time off. This new schedule has helped her look forward to something during the week. 

“I was excited to have a break in the middle of a busy school week and relax,” said Baker. Having Wednesday’s almost completely off adds a pleasant break in the middle of the week, giving students more energy and motivation before it hits the end of the week. 

However, it makes one wonder if students are learning even less due to the time not engaged in classes. “I don’t think I am learning less,” said Baker. “Most teachers still assign work and class is the same but just asynchronous.”

Kylie Morrissey, a junior at LHS, takes advantage of having Wednesday’s off and goes to work. “After school on Wednesday’s I go directly to work from 11:30 to 7:30 and then I get home around 8 and start homework at around 9” said Morrissey. “I have felt less stressed because most of my classes on Wednesday’s are asynchronous anyways, so in a way it feels like a day off.”

With the busy schedules and preparation to go into hybrid as soon as possible, teachers are working extra hard, teaching all four classes every day.

Mrs. Larson, a history teacher at LHS explains how quarter 2 has been significantly less stressful than quarter 1. Larson has two young kids and a husband that also teaches school online, making it difficult to spend time with them during and after school. 

“It hasn’t changed how much time Mr. Larson and I get to spend with them during the workday, but it has made a huge improvement in how much time we can spend with them and focus on them outside of school hours!” said Larson.

She is now able to play with her kids, help them with schoolwork, have family movie nights, and cook dinner. 

“Typically, I’m done with Zoom meetings and lunch around 1”, said Larson. “And then I spend from 1-4 grading student work and providing feedback, or creating upcoming lessons and assignments.” Having this new Wednesday schedule allows teachers to do grading and lesson planning during normal work hours instead of after school hours. 

Wednesday’s provide an enjoyable break to the busy school week and gives students time to catch up on homework, sleep, enjoy time to themselves and other outdoor activities with the occasional sunny Oregon weather. Teachers have been able to spend less time off screen and have been less stressed due to the time off from teaching students over Zoom.