I’m a High School Student. I Don’t Want Online Learning to End.

‘Just as we had to shrink our lives by living inside, we also need to expand how we define public education.’

High school student Ligaya Chinn studies for her AP Biology test in her bedroom at her home in Oakland, CA on May 7, 2020. Photo: Jessica Christian/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

This op-ed was written by Rory Selinger, a 14-year-old high school student in New York State.

There are many things I miss about my pre-pandemic life. Attending school in person is not one of them.

I’m a very motivated high school student. I like school. But switching to online learning has been the best thing to happen to my education. It’s reduced the social pressure I feel taking exams, allowed me to get immediate feedback from teachers, and given me the freedom to embrace my own unique learning style.

One thing I hope people now realize is that education is not a one-size-fits-all model. While the self-disciplined nature of remote learning is not for everyone, it has allowed students like me to flourish unimpeded by the challenges presented by typical classroom settings.

For me, attending my public school online consists of synchronous classes five days a week and homework assigned daily. This workload requires comparable dedication to in-person learning. My classes begin at 7:40 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. My teachers offer immediate feedback on the…