According to the United States Census Bureau, nearly 93% of U.S. households with school-aged children have utilized a form of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 80% of these households practice virtual learning.

Furthermore, schools offering virtual instruction have become major outlets for those isolated from others due to health concerns, among other difficulties.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 21% of U.S. public schools now offer at least one online course, and this number may continue to rise as 2021 progresses.

For schools such as CHS, online resources are necessary for students to pursue their academic careers. However, online courses can come with a plethora of issues, particularly when pertaining to student motivation.

Sophomore Alex Dornemann of Eatontown believes that it is more difficult to focus on school due to the different environment that she is learning in.

“Virtual learning has affected my attention span and the way I view school,” said sophomore Alex Dornemann. “It used to be something totally separate from home, but now it’s mostly at home, which confuses me because home doesn’t equal school.”

Spanish teacher Karen Britto also noted that virtual learning gives students the opportunity to be academically dishonest.

“I think that with virtual learning, it’s really easy for kids to be academically dishonest and cheat,” Britto said. “Most kids are good with this, but some aren’t and when you work hard to create interactive assignments and then kids cheat, it’s not a good feeling.”

Though virtual learning has made a strange impact on those in CHS, sophomore Grace Wartmann of Eatontown believes that her teachers have made the best of this situation.

“I have to say, the teachers are doing such a good job,” Wartmann said. “I can only imagine how hard it is to teach online, and although it’s also hard on the students, the teachers are making it as easy as they can.”