By Karine Chan, Editor-in-Chief
With the switch to online school, many are finding themselves exasperated and full of angst from sitting at the computer all week long. Students, as well as teachers, are being drained by the second and have found themselves searching for an escape. With Mills High School’s current bell schedule, teachers and students are required to hop on Zoom calls five days a week—easily putting us at or over the suggested screen time per day, being one of the main reasons as to why school districts are implementing asynchronous days.
On Wednesday, October 13th, Mills had its first trial run of an asynchronous school day. Compared to the other days of the week, students do not have to attend their Zoom classes at the usual set times. Asynchronous school days have proven to be the most flexible for students, as they are able to complete their work at the time of day that fits best for them.
Simply put, asynchronous Wednesday was amazing. Having that mid-week break to take a rest from Zoom calls and sleep in those extra few hours felt like a breath of fresh air. I especially enjoyed being able to work according to my schedule, rather than that of the school’s. As a night owl, I enjoy getting homework done between two and five am. I have found that my brain is the most stimulated and focused during those hours. And yes, I know I should be getting the recommended nine hours of sleep per night through that time frame, but hey, whatever gets the truckload of assignments done, right? By having an asynchronous Wednesday, my mind was able to get a much needed break, which in turn, led me to be able to be very productive once well rested.
Though it is quite transparent that I am pro-asynchronous, the benefits of it unavoidably come with concerns, one being not having the motivation to actually do work, since we are not on Zoom being monitored in live time. Having to be self-reliant is a bit risky, as I know if I do not force myself to sit down and do homework, it would simply never get done. Plus, with being online and at home all the time, motivation levels are at an all time low. Falling into a bad sleep schedule is another concern of mine, as not having to attend class leads to staying up late Tuesday night and waking up far into the day on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, asynchronous Wednesdays are a plus in my mind. Our classes on Wednesday are so short anyway—being only thirty minutes—that sitting in Zoom honestly feels pointless. Thirty minutes is not enough time for a full lesson, so most teachers opt to dedicate the period to catch up on work. And if teachers do decide to fit a quick lesson in, no one really retains the information, so we are simply sitting there watching the minutes pass by. Think about it, if the class is mainly spent letting students catch up on assignments, why not let us just do it on our own time? And teachers are always available via email or even through office hours on Zoom for students who may have questions, so there’s no reason why everyone should have to sit through an excruciating class period of nothingness. For the mental well-being and sanity of every party, asynchronous seems like our best bet.
