Online school, our new reality, has been pursued as a supplement and sometimes a substitution for “in-person school” at many public universities for those who seek the flexibility between their personal and educational pursuits. At a school like Potomac, however, where we pride ourselves on the physical relationships we have cultivated inside our buildings, what does online school do for us?

On a normal school day, I don’t just have class. I have club time, meetings with teachers, lunch with my friends, Friday assemblies that are respectfully enjoyed, collaboration time in MSCC, and sports practice. Although I spent the majority of my time in class, the other activities and settings in which I engage balance my day and make me happy. 

Nowadays, I have Zoom meetings from early morning until the afternoon. Not every meeting is classtime, but all Zoom meetings feel like it. And it is so much more tiring than an in-person class. Despite all the meetings, I feel disconnected from my classmates and isolated from what I perceive to be the purpose of Potomac: to do things together. 

This is not to say every day is a never-ending cycle of doom. Far from it. The freedom that online school gives us can be liberating. I would never have had the opportunity to go to B block, bake some fresh banana bread muffins, and then head to C block. Or go on a long walk with my dog during lunch. But the motivation to do anything besides sit down all day has to come from within, whereas before the Potomac scheduled diversified our activities for us. 

Despite these challenges, I feel more connected to my family, more in tune with who I am without Potomac, and more appreciative of what I have. I am very sympathetic to those who are severely afflicted by the virus and I worry about the safety of some of my family members. But I say this with all of those concerns and sympathies in mind: I cannot learn in an online school.