Student Perspective: What Suttons Bay High Schoolers Think of Remote Learning

Written By Grace Marshall and Kortney Smith, 11th grade, Suttons Bay High School

Recently, Suttons Bay Public Schools made a quick switch from in-person learning to remote learning due to the state’s restrictions. It has been hard for everyone: teachers, who have not experienced anything like this in their careers; students, having only done in-person learning their whole lives; and parents.

In a survey sent out to Suttons Bay High School (SBHS) students to see how they view remote learning, the pros talked about were: being able to sleep longer, creating your own schedule, and being safe at home. The cons: procrastination — which was a big one; finding it harder to focus; and self-motivation to do the work. “Distractions are all around you and you have to force yourself to focus,” said a SBHS sophomore.

The survey results found that students find it harder to work remotely and think it takes them longer to do remote school than regular in-person school. Students feel the teachers assign more homework than they would in-seat, which causes them to be somewhat overwhelmed and stressed. However, teachers have never had to go through anything like this before — nor did they ever imagine that they’d have to — and are doing everything they can to continue to teach their students in the best way possible.

And, of course, there are some beacons of light. Teachers have discovered new and easier ways for their students to get their work done, including Edpuzzle and Kami. The school is also still providing free school lunches, which is very helpful to families. Teachers and staff are doing everything they can to connect with and support students as they attempt to make this unusual time as “normal” as possible.

Students are too: the SBHS Media Publications Broadcasting Crew is now uploading their weekly broadcast from their homes for the whole school to watch, which is also a great way that the students and staff are staying connected.

News On The Bay, explains Media Publications Supervisor Jessica Vitale, “includes segments such as Norsemen Weather, Positive World News, COVID Cooking in Quarantine, Haters Say It’s Fake, plus quarantine crafts, a TikTok, pet videos, school updates, and sports updates (when we have sports to update).”

Check out the most recent episode — the Thanksgiving special — here.

The students and teachers at Suttons Bay will persevere through this strange time and hope to return  to the classrooms on December 14. We are Norsemen strong.