With the emergence of the new strain of the coronavirus- ‘omicron’ -there is the constant peril of another lockdown, possibly even leading to the closure of schools. In this case, students must be ready to encounter online learning once again.

Online learning can be both a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it.

The biggest benefit has to be the increased flexibility students gain when learning online; they can choose their own learning environment-whether they’re studying in bed or while eating breakfast. However, this has its cons too. Too much flexibility and freedom of choice can encourage laziness and a lack of discipline-more students usually tend to procrastinate any work they have.

The lack of social interaction studying at home brings has been considered a major downfall of not going to school, but for introverts online learning is definitely more of a blessing. On the other hand, extroverts and just people who generally thrive off human interaction suffer from staying locked up in their homes all day.

After asking 2 students about their opinions on online learning, one student-aged 14-said, “it [online learning] can help combat the lack of sleep students face”. Personally, I agree with this; not having to get up that early in the morning is 100% a major benefit of learning at home.

On the other hand, Vivia Shukla, 14, prefers physical learning to online. She said, “it’s easier to focus and not get distracted” when learning in school. It’s also “much easier to ask questions”. I also think this is a valid point, at home there are many distractions for students-including things like YouTube and their phone. At school, this isn’t a problem.

Clearly, online learning is viewed differently by different students. We just have to be willing to accept both its advantages and disadvantages and try our best to not get distracted.

Perhaps try making a to-do list, with frequent breaks in between to re-energise yourself. Have rewards for when you complete any tasks and find a quiet and comfortable place to study.

Hopefully, this pandemic will soon come to an end and we'll be able to stop worrying about the continuously changing situations regarding our education.