Seminole connect is much harder than it may seem. After almost two nine weeks of participating in connect, I’ve had my fair share of problems with it. From teachers not paying attention to connect students, having a hard time focusing on the computer screen, and much more. It seems as though the option I thought would be easier is much harder than it looks. I don’t seem to be the only one struggling it seems as though kids doing connect are doing worse academically than those going to school.

I and many other students realize that teachers aren’t used to this set-up. With that, it is very frustrating when a teacher doesn’t move the camera to show the board or when teachers only interact with students there in person. After unmuting yourselves a bunch of times to say you can’t see something on the board, you get tired of it and just let it be.  This causes students to lose interest in the notes they should be taking to help with future tests and assignments. Interactions between students and teachers really help students feel engaged with their lesson, but with Seminole connect that interaction is very limited. Teachers tend to only ask the students who are there in person questions that go along with the lesson being taught, this again causes that disconnect between connect students and what they are supposed to be learning.

School is 7 hours long… that’s a long time to look at a computer screen. After my first few classes, I will already find myself tired and bored. The boredom has caused me to sometimes not pay attention in my classes and or occasionally fall asleep. When you are at school you move around and tend to be engaged with lessons as you don’t really have a choice, but when you are doing connect you stay in one spot and stare at a screen. It is so easy to get distracted like that especially since we are all at home, a place where there are many distractions. The disconnect again is highlighted here.

For me, Seminole connect has caused me to lose a lot of motivation. Before I’d wake up around 5:00 to get to school around 7:00, but now I’ll wake up at 6:45 and log onto Webex by 7:20. My homework schedule has also changed for the worse, I never feel like doing it anymore. When I went to actual school I would tend to start my homework an hour or two after I got home… oh how that’s changed. Nowadays I won’t feel the need to do homework until it is pitch black outside.

It is great we have Seminole connect as there is a pandemic going on, but there are definitely its challenges. It is nowhere near as easy as distant learning was 4th courter last school year. I joined many students in thinking this would be an easier and safer option, it ended up only being the safer option. It was a rude awakening but hopefully, I and the other connect students will learn to adapt.