Online classes were a big part of many students’ lives during the 2020 pandemic and a common sentiment among teachers and students alike was that online classes were not effective in getting students to the level they needed to be at academically. By contrast, in school learning has proven to be a much better way for students to make progress in their learning. The main reason for this change is the differing environments that students found themselves in.

When you’re not in school your home is a place of comfort and relaxation, somewhere that you can unwind and take a break from the day. When you’re at home you probably spend most of your time in your bedroom and you have the freedom to decorate your room. You may put up posters of your favorite movie, stick LED lights to your walls, or give your room a new paint job. Your room is also full of your belongings whether it’s your phone, computer, gaming console, or books. These things can also be distractions when you’re trying to work. If you already struggle with procrastinating in school then being at home and trying to get a good work day can start to feel next to impossible.

Your teacher not being present to help you focus is also a detriment. Since they’re only seeing you through a screen it’s easy for you to not take them as seriously as you would in person. With these things in mind the stunted learning of students who had to work from home for a year starts to make sense.

Your school on the other hand is built to help you focus on your classes and completing work. In class you don’t have nearly as much freedom as you do at home. Your personal belongings, the things that would typically distract you are no longer present. Phones are put away for nearly the entire day and personal computers usually aren’t allowed. Your classes rooms are brightly lit keeping you awake and your desk faces the front of the class keeping your focus on the whiteboard.

Your teachers being present in the room rather than on a video call makes all the difference. In the classroom a teacher can push distractions away and keep their class focused on the topic at hand, while at home you can easily get on your phone or play a game on your computer without your teacher knowing.

While students’ homes are a great environment to unwind after a long day it is not a suitable place for students to learn efficiently. Abundant distractions and the lack of a teacher to add structure make staying on task and completing your work difficult. While in school you don’t have your distractions available to you and your classes are built to keep you focused.