This year has taken all of us by surprise. Covid-19 has truly defeated many things including the education system. Most teachers and parents talk about how the Seniors will not be getting a Prom or a “true” senior year. But who we are not talking about is our Freshmen and Sophomores this year. People haven’t realized that they are new at high school, and this is not a normal system for anyone, especially ally for them. Sophomores had the pleasure of having a normal year last year, but this hybrid system can still potentially harm their learning habits. We as a news staff have asked students and teachers alike on their opinions on this hybrid system, seeing if it works for them. 

“This school year has been very different for me. Going from eighth grade to a freshman is very different. I like the hybrid system a little, but it still has many problems. One thing I find to be very different is that we have four classes a quarter, making everything feel rushed and too fast for my brain to handle. A lot of my friends are struggling with grades, along with my brother who is a senior here at Rocky. I ask him for a lot of help mostly because he’s been in the “system” before, but even then, he can’t help me sometimes.” If you could change anything, what would you change? “I would have to say, how fast my teachers try to put out assignment. My English class is the most difficult mostly because she puts everything on OneNote, confusing me on what’s due and what’s just extra study. I would like it if my teachers could use Google instead of Microsoft because it’s what we used all through middle school.” says Rocky Mountain freshmen. 

“Bring a student during this time is very weird. I was looking forward to my freshmen year, but now it’s turned into a homework nightmare. I enjoy school, but not having all my friends and a lot of homework has made this my least favorite year. School has been changing for the worst I feel, I understand it’s a lot of work for my teachers, but still it hurts everyone’s education. I feel very badly for the seniors this year, my friend says it’s very hard. If I can change anything, it would be how much homework there is. The amount of work compared to teaching is terrible.” Sarah Jones, Freshmen at Meridian High School. 

We asked a teacher on how they feel Freshmen are doing this year and what could the school system be doing differently. “As being a teacher for 20 plus years, this year has been crazy! When I used to teach, the only days off we could get off were Christmas break and Spring break, but that was 15 years ago. But when I used to teach Freshmen, I would tell them every day that high school only gets harder from here. This year might just be impossible for all high school students, my granddaughter tells me that she has so much homework in her classes with little to no time to complete it. The school system is fall apart from when I used to teach. I’m happy to see that elementary kids are able to go back full time, but we need to focus on the students who are about to become adults and function in today’s sociality. I just can’t imagine colleges teaching high school math or English to these newly founded adults. That is what I would change about how the district is taking it.” Mrs. Smith retired high school teacher. 

This year has brought out the best and worst of us as a country. This current generation of students might be lacking a prober education. With the hybrid system looking like it may go back to all online, who knows how this will affect students now and moving forward.