Five-hour online school days consume the week, as the second Thursday in a row is spent solely on a computer. “When will the vaccine come out?” students wonder while paying attention to a pixelated screen that is composed of teachers and fellow classmates. This is the new life of online interactions during the coronavirus. This is school during COVID-19.

With human connection being reduced to exclusively online interactions, long days spent on computer screens have taken a significant toll on the mental health of students, according to “The News-Letter,” “The Daily Orange,” “BBC,” “Washington Post,” “New York Times,” and many more. This new phenomenon is known as “Zoom fatigue.” Zoom fatigue is the distasteful sensation that arouses when staring at a screen for too long and staying in the same place. Zoom fatigue is a reminder for the body that viewing a screen in the same place is detrimental for eyesight and activity levels. According to the “Washington Post,” the feelings of isolation associated with Zoom fatigue have resulted in spiked levels of depression and anxiety levels among teenagers.

After dealing with online school since September, students have an understanding of life online. “Online learning is the better alternative than in-person learning if we have to wear masks and social distance,” sophomore Caleb David said, “It’s simply impossible for school to be done while maintaining COVID-19 guidelines.”  

Other students believe that Parker should be doing more to adapt to the circumstances of the pandemic. Junior Othel Owen talked about the future of online school. Although he notices the teachers’ efforts to do their best to simulate a normal learning environment, the task is easier said than done. “Online learning has progressively become harder to deal with,” Owen said. “It’s very exhausting to have no social interaction and no motivation during class. We need to find a way to have school during the pandemic.” 

Senior Mathew Garchik has seen major improvements in Parker’s online learning programming. “My online experience has been substantially better compared to the spring of last year. All teachers had an entire summer to prepare,” Garchik said. Garchik shares this opinion with Owen.

As of right now, the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, and the struggle has only begun.