Inconsistent, overwhelming, awkward: How 4 Colorado HS seniors view learning during the pandemic

Editor’s note: Denver7 is following the lives of four Colorado high school students this year as they navigate senior year during the pandemic.

Previously, we introduced you to the four of themand asked them what challenges they were facing at the beginning of the year and asked them the type of challenges they wished parents knew about their senior year in the time of COVID-19.

For this second part of the project, we asked them to share with us what the return to in-person learning has been like for them. What has worked? What hasn't? And if they feel like they've been learning under a remote/hybrid model.

Some of these high schoolers shared their experience in writing, while others spoke to us on camera for this article. Below are their responses.

Alexander, senior at Thomas Jefferson High School

I was actually thinking the other day how normal it feels to be doing school on a computer and how it would feel weird to be learning in a classroom again. That being said, I think that I definitely have adapted and gotten accustomed to remote learning.

I think that remote learning has actually benefited me a lot because it’s been a time where I have a lot of self-reflection and time to think by myself without classmates talking to me, and it actually has been a great time for development for me as a person.

Alex, senior at Thomas Jefferson High School

A couple things that have been on my mind are things like, “I can’t wait to graduate” and “I can’t wait to be able to be out of high school and out of this current environment.”

Looking at the speed of the vaccination process, it seems quite promising that I’ll be able to experience next year at college in-person and be surrounded by people of similar interests and I’m very much excited for that.

All in all, I would say that high school has been an awkward four years and I’m very much ready to leave it behind and progress in life.

Ethan, senior at Legend High School

The return to in-person (learning) has been very quick and inconsistent which has really been tough for me with keeping a schedule and stuff.

I am just concerned that we will not have any social distancing, and how 100% full in-person (learning) is just going to disrupt our daily lives even more with seeing more quarantines and cases increasing to the point where it may hurt our small businesses in the community; overall, I am just not supportive of the full in-person option and prefer to stay 100% remote.

Submitted by Ethan.

Honestly, I am feeling overwhelmed and rushed with everything going on right now but also, I am making the best of it right now. (I’ve) also have been doing workouts, which helps.

For in-person (learning) - I mean, yes, but also, no; and what I mean by that is, from the amounts of homework we are getting again and assignments right now, it just doesn't really feel like we are. During remote (learning), I mean, we definitely did learn and stayed on a consistent sort of unit and topic of conversation, like doing notes and homework from here (but it wasn't much either)."

Kenzi, senior at Green Mountain High School

Kenzi is another senior whose experience with remote and recently, hybrid learning, has been difficult. From seeing friends every other day to having issues engaging with the subject at hand, she details her experience in the vlog below:

Jayla, senior at Arvada High School

Jayla, who’s only been back to in-person learning for the past couple of weeks, says she is happy to be back in class, not only because she can see her friends again, but because learning in a classroom is more engaging for her. She expands on her experience below:

Denver7 is tracking the state of education in Colorado to help find resources for parents and kids navigating this unprecedented year.

• An "ever-changing" challenge: The mental health hurdles that Colorado schools are facing
• What one Colorado superintendent has learned after a semester of school during COVID-19

Editor's Note: Are you a high school senior trying to make it during the pandemic and would like to be a part of this project so your voice can also be heard? Email me at oscar.contreras@thedenverchannel.com and let's chat! Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at 360@TheDenverChannel.com. See more 360 stories here.