I Study: At Home

While some students yearned to go back to school with their friends to feel a sense of normalcy, senior John Fraka felt the opposite. After experiencing all three of the district’s learning models, hybrid, remote and in-person, Fraka decided learning at home was the best choice for him.

Fraka believes that the quiet environment of his home is beneficial for him during remote learning.

“I chose to go from in-person to optional remote last semester when we went from fully remote last December,” Fraka said. “I found that I really liked the remote schedule and it worked really well for me.”

Since Fraka has moved to do his schooling fully online, his study space has moved from the living room to a new study area.

“Pre-COVID-19, I would study from our living room on the couch,” Fraka said. “When COVID-19 happened and we had to switch to doing work from home, I set up a study area in the living room because it is quieter.”

The new setup includes a desk, comfortable chair and music to help Fraka stay focused on his work.

“I love listening to music all the time, but especially when I am studying,” Fraka said. “A lot of the time I will turn on music to focus when I’m doing my work.”

As a member of the school band, Fraka plays jazz guitar in jazz band class at home over Zoom.

“For band we usually just check-in at the beginning of class and [band director Deb] Steiner releases us to go practice what we need,” Fraka said. “I have my guitar right by my study area so I just grab it and do whatever I am assigned. Once we get to the end of class, all of the remote students just check back in over Zoom.”

Fraka can work well both ways: in-person and remote. However, he prefers learning from home because he can work at his own pace and he finds it earlier to focus in his own environment.

“I enjoy both in-person and remote learning during COVID-19, but I chose to learn remotely because I prefer to be in my study space where it is quiet,” Fraka said. “I feel more comfortable there.”