Since the first day of the 2020-2021 school year at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, hybrid learning has been in use. The purpose of hybrid learning is to prevent the spread of coronavirus throughout schools. By using it, the student body is split into groups A and B. Group A attends school in-person Monday and Tuesday, and does school virtually Wednesday through Friday. Group B attends virtual school from Monday to Wednesday, and goes to in-person school on Thursday and Friday. With a rise in coronavirus cases, hybrid has proven its usefulness among schools. However, it has some major downsides, too. Here are the six major pros and cons of hybrid learning…

Pros

1. Hybrid is safer than previous alternatives to schooling. It’s pretty obvious, but without hybrid there would be around 20 students in a classroom without social distancing. Cutting classrooms down to 8 people or less is a bit overboard, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. The virtual days of hybrid learning allow students to relax. Most of my friends tell me that virtual days are amazing for three reasons: you can wake up later, wear whatever you want all day, and go on your phone when you have downtime. I do all three of these things, and they make for a very comfortable experience.
3. Hybrid has caused teachers to create relaxed deadlines. All of my teachers understand that hybrid schooling can be overwhelming, so they usually give students until 11:59 P.M. to submit schoolwork. If I’m busy with sports, struggling on an assignment, or I have a lot of work to complete, it’s useful to have extra time.

 Cons

1. The virtual days of hybrid learning reduce the amount of focus that students have on schoolwork. When I’m in school on Monday and Tuesday, I’m motivated to get my work done. Without the comfort of my bed, phone, and snacks, I tend to put more energy into my work. When I’m virtual from Wednesday to Friday I often get lazy. With my phone right next to me, I usually fall into temptation and watch YouTube videos instead of working. By the end of the week, all of my unfinished assignments are piled up into a mountain. I struggle to stay on task, and it’s most likely the same for many others. Solution: Students should try to distance themselves from distractions like phones, gaming consoles, and TVs. 
2. The virtual days of hybrid “learning” make it harder for students to actually learn. As an effect of not being in a classroom environment, students aren’t able to absorb information well. I can even see these dramatic effects in myself. Compared to last year’s full in-person learning, I haven’t been learning as successfully. Solution: This problem is unavoidable.
3. Hybrid learning is unfair to students with bad internet connection. Without stable connection, students cannot join google meets to understand work, complete classwork, or learn new topics on virtual days. If they try to catch up on assignments while they’re in school, it’s still impossible to finish all of them. As a result, students with bad internet connection won’t receive a proper education. It’s unfortunate that the future of these students is sacrificed for a virus with an incredibly high survival rate. Solution: This problem is unavoidable.

Because hybrid learning makes it difficult for students to receive an education (which is the purpose of school) it’s obvious that the cons outweighs the pros. For now, hybrid learning is alright, but I can’t take much longer. I’m looking forward to next year when I’ll be in eighth grade. Hopefully 2021 will be better than 2020.