From the last week of January to the first week of February, North Carolina has been experiencing unusually cold weather. The snow storm began late Friday night on Jan. 29 and would continue into the weekend. This storm surpassed past winter weather in NC. As a result, schools in Wake County had to opt for remote learning for their students.
Remote learning days have their pros and cons. On the bright side, students got to stay inside, where they were warm and didn’t have to worry about turning in a physical assignment. It was also self-paced. However, students didn’t have an opportunity to talk to teachers or meet with friends.
Sophomore Dhanya Sankar said, “Remote learning was a really fun experience but it was kind of boring as I couldn’t meet my friends in person.”
During the first week of February, FVHS had two hour delays from Feb. 3 to Feb. 5. Schools opened two hours late under this delay because of the threat of black ice and to provide the school’s transportation and administrative teams time to prepare to receive students. WCPSS called parents of students to notify them about the two hour delay.
Students had extra time to get ready for school as well as some extra hours of sleep, which is important for student(s) health. Plus, since classes were shorter than normal, students felt they didn’t need to be rushed and could focus more.
Sankar said, “I would prefer the two hour delay because I think it’s better to come to school even if there’s a delay instead of remote learning, which can make it boring.”
Most students prefer having a two hour delay over remote learning because of the shorter classes and the extra time to sleep or get ready; the extra time means they don’t feel rushed. Extra hours of sleep can also help students focus more on class. So the next time a wintry weather occurs, schools should opt for a two hour delay rather than remote learning.
