Did you feel that strain on your brain this week?

As Greeley West students returned to in-person learning this week, they also had to demonstrate content knowledge regularly for the first time this school year – and probably do so with less sleep than they were used to.  Although there are many luxuries to online school, the biggest may have been the ability to use notes and the internet on nearly every assignment coupled with waking up late each morning.  

Overnight, that opportunity went away.  “My teachers allowed me to use notes on quizzes and tests and they did help because I sometimes didn’t understand the concepts while being at home, so the notes helped lots,” said senior Nolan Hydock said.

Hydock was not alone.  In fact, many teachers reported suspicions of students outright cheating on many of the online assignments.  Now, they’re hopeful kids show improvements in person.  “I would like to see improvement on paper tests because they have the ability to write it out and they won’t have any distractions like at home,” math teacher Ms. Loni Harris said.

Junior Evert Carmona, who has a schedule full of AP classes, said the use of notes online hurt students in other ways outside of their grade or test score.  “Some teachers did allow notes during a quiz and it actually a 50/50 (proposition) because it helps us but at the same time its hurting us,” Carmona said.

On one hand, students grades improved, but Carmona acknowledged there will be no notes or internet to use on his AP exams. Therefore, he tried to take tests and quizzes without assistance.

Sophomore Lizbeth Delgado disagreed with Carmona and said she enjoyed the ability to use notes on tests/quizes because if she wasn’t understanding something she could look into her notes. “Online school did not make it easier to cheat because most of my teachers made sure you weren’t able to search up questions from Google,” said Delgado. 

Delgado said that she felt there was more homework assigned during hybrid learning than in a regualr school day, which led to not understanding the content. She’s excited to return to normal where work can be done in class.  

Students also are having to adjust their sleep schedule this week.  Both Hydock and Carmona said they weren’t planning to go to sleep any earlier when they returned to full in person learning, but that they would surely have to wake up earlier to come to school.  “I slept until 7:30 in the morning then jumped in the shower and was done by 8 when my first period was starting,” said Carmona.

Hydock waited even longer.  He would sleep in until right before classes started. “My favorite part of online school was being able to hang out in the morning, being able to chill and not have to rush to school,” said Nolan.

Even Delgado, who still woke up early to prepare for school, said she normally would take a nap at lunch. Evert also liked the convenience of staying at home but also having extra time to do school work.