Online learning has presented obstacles for students, making it difficult to stay focused throughout the school day.

A common sensation among students is often referred to as “Zoom fatigue,” which is the draining feeling that comes from sitting in front of a screen for hours. 

“It’s just hard to motivate myself to complete all the assignments because after you sit at your desk for like six hours, then you have another two or three hours of homework,” freshman Jack McMahon said.

To combat the exhaustion of being in online school, students try to stay active throughout the day.

“During passing period I usually get up and I’ll get water; and then after school, I usually try to go outside every day,” McMahon said.

In addition to feeling tired, staring at a screen all day can physically affect students.

“It takes a mental toll how often you’re staring at a screen, even after school because you just want to take a break,” sophomore Vanessa Li said. “I didn’t want to hurt my eyesight and I wanted to protect myself. I think [blue light glasses] have definitely helped me, I haven’t gotten any headaches.”

Besides the “Zoom fatigue,” another challenge students face is separating their home life from their school life. Prior to distance learning, home and school were separated by the  different environments, but with online learning, students no longer have this distinction.

“I think it’s hard to have school and home so connected because I feel like I can never really completely disconnect from one to the other, so it makes it more difficult to focus when I’m at home,” sophomore Ana Spano said. “It’s harder to concentrate at home because there’s nothing to hold you accountable and keep you focused.”

Despite these challenges, students are trying to take distance learning day-by-day and are optimistic that they will  return to campus in the future.

“We just have to live with it and accept it. I hope it’ll get better, and maybe by next fall we’ll be able to go back to school,” Spano said.