Due to COVID-19 concerns, students within the district were able to choose whether they want to continue doing online learning or return to school with a new hybrid schedule this past month.

   Students have differing opinions and preferences as to which option, online or face-to-face is best suited for them. 

    “I like it because when I go to school, I can finish the work easier and organize my schedule more throughout the day,” junior Sarah Hudson, who is attending school face-to-face, said.

   Many students who learn more effectively in an interactive environment, like Hudson, are choosing to attend face-to-face learning at Plano Senior High this semester.

  “A lot of my classes, like American Studies and Clinicals, are hands-on classes so I would prefer to be on campus,” Hudson said.

   Schools all around the district are taking several safety precautions in regards to COVID-19 by requiring face masks, social distancing and providing sanitizers for students’ desks and hands.

   “I chose to do online learning school because I think it is still unsafe both for students and mainly teachers to be participating in face-to-face learning right now, as cases are still popping up here,” said junior Cadence Gunadi, who is attending school through online learning this semester.

    Students that chose to do online learning are able to set their own schedule and learn at their own pace, alongside taking the necessary precautions for themselves and others in the midst of COVID-19.

     However, Hudson in face-to-face and Gunadi in online-learning, share similar views on what they miss from school before the pandemic.

    “I miss people and the human contact,” said Hudson.

    Most students, like Hudson and Gunadi miss the social aspect of school.

    “We don’t have the social aspect, and something special to me in regular learning is making connections with friends,” said Gunadi. 

     Despite the differences in virtual and face-to-face learning, students in either environment long to see their friends, create new friendships, and interact with their teachers. However, students and teachers within Plano ISD are making the best of the circumstances that they’ve been given.