Author Spotlight
Emma Brown
Whether it be in the mountains or on the beach, families of East seized the chance to continue their vacations while classes remain online. From Colorado to Cabo, here is a look into how East students are managing online school from a — very far — distance.
Ryan Ward:
Starting off his mornings in the Rocky Mountains at 6:40 a.m., Junior Ryan Ward cracks open his computer and logs into his English Webex with the view of fresh winter snow. With Ward’s WiFi having perfect Webex connection in his remote location, his teachers.
“[My family and I] were gonna go back before school started, but we decided it would be more fun to stay here because there is so much to do,” Ward said.
Ward is currently away in Buena Vista, Colo. staying at his home for the past three weeks and will leave in a week. There’s not much of a difference to Ward between learning in Colorado vs learning at home other than not having after school activities.
Being able to ski after school and join classes from anywhere, Ward has enjoyed trading his at-home desk to one with a view of the Rockies. He’s also found it to focus since he’s been able to go outside and get away from distractions inside his house like his parents working as well and a TV playing in the background.
Some parts of online learning have stayed the same for Ward, such as his morning routine — waking up, having breakfast, then starting class — but other things, such as social interactions have brought him some change.
“I mean I’m having to do school so I wouldn’t say I’m exactly on a vacation right now,” Ward said. “I’m still able to do fun things after school and on weekends…I’m able to do things I normally wouldn’t if I were in KC.”
Libby Hise:
Senior Libby Hise has been able to take her classes online while out of town twice now. Back in October she traveled to Aspen, Colo. and now in Cabo San Lucas, Mex. she attends her classes — both locations being an hour behind, she’s adapted to starting at 6:40 a.m..
In Colorado she had no problems with joining Webex out of town, but Mexico’s distance brought more challenging connection issues, forcing her to take classes on her phone instead of her computer. But, the tradeoff of the ocean, leaves no complaining for her.
“It’s very nice being able to be somewhere scenic and doing something fun while attending school,” Hise said.
Before the first hour she usually hops right out of bed, and goes outside. According to Hise, nobody is up at 6:40 a.m. in Mexico and going outside allows her to have a quiet space and area to talk without waking her family. After her classes, she has done lots of surfing, hiking but mostly relaxing on the beach or by the pool.
Rather than being at home and dreading school in the mornings, Hise has found it easier to focus because the thoughts of fun activities like surfing, motivate to get her work done so she can go enjoy her day.
With online learning there is no concern about missing school. Being online has given Hise opportunities to enjoy vacation rather than worrying about missing assignments and make-up tests and allows her to enjoy the 75-degree weather.
“In Mexico, it’s very nice because I can just do school laying by the pool or on the beach because it is less active,” Hise said. “When we do something [more active] in Mexico, I take a day off.”
With limited things to do in Kansas City, Hise is finding places like Aspen and Cabo to be where she can lay back to take a break from social life and work on herself. She realizes how lucky she is to wake up by a mountain or be tanning on a beach during her Digital Design class.
“It is just nice to feel like school isn’t an obligation,” Hise said. “I enjoy my day. Even if there isn’t an activity planned I enjoy just going outside wherever I am and taking in a different scene away from society.”
Staying for two weeks in a condo in Cabo has allowed Hise to enjoy more aspects of her day where she doesn’t feel the need to keep up with social media and stays more focused on her vacation experience.
“I love to get away from social life,” Hise said. “Coronavirus is hard to comprehend, and has ruined so many events and activities. The political divide right now is scary and always has me overwhelmed. It is hard to have a healthy mental health right now, and going out of town is the best thing I could have done.”
Brooke Taylor
With palm trees waving behind the screen of her computer, junior Brooke Taylor is able to start off her day an hour earlier at 6:40 a.m. on a beach in Mexico. She downloaded the Canvas app on her phone and found one place where her WiFi works perfectly with a Cabo backdrop.
Her easy schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays allows her to enjoy her vacation and relax after her classes. Along with that, her teachers acknowledge her absence in Kansas City and ask questions such as, “what’s the weather like?”
After returning home on Jan. 11, Taylor spent her vacation as a way to detach from the KC environment and be away from the cold weather at home.
“I dislike classes at home and enjoyed the idea of being away from home for a little bit, Taylor said. “I take my computer to the beach and I complete my homework with a lemonade.”
She has found some difficulties, with her parents planning big dinners that Taylor can’t miss, she finds herself with lots of homework after school and very little time to complete it before she needs to go to bed for her early morning class.
“My parents didn’t see the point in staying home if we are doing online school, so they booked a flight and here we are,” Taylor said.
For Taylor, the smell of the ocean and the view of the palm trees allows her to calm down and relax during her classes to take the pressure off. She feels like she is staying more peaceful with her work rather than feeling pressure like she would at home.
“Online school at home feels so isolating and it’s not good for my mental health really, so I’ve much enjoyed being here and away from being lonely,” Taylor said.
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