WOODBURY — School has been hard for everybody this year, especially for the students transitioning from in-person learning to online school.

With the end of the semester — and hopefully the return to hybrid schooling — right around the corner, Nonnewaug students have been feeling the struggles of transitioning from in-person to distance learning.

The transition to distance learning has been a challenging time for many students due to the lack of communication with teachers and peers, which is essential to learning. Students also fear the possibility of confusion caused by a shortage of instructions from teachers. A lack of  communication and instructions can create a lack of motivation to complete work.

Diego Razo, a sophomore, explained his thoughts on the difficulty of completing work.

“It’s become a lot harder to focus and to stay on task because we’re not really in a learning environment; we stare at computer screens for hours on end,” Razo explained. “Personally, I’ve become really tired during class even though I’ve gone to sleep relatively early.”

The lack of work completion can result in bad grades and mental health issues.

“It’s not easy getting work done,” Razo remarked.

Carley Shook, a sophomore, agreed.

“I find it a lot harder to get all of your work done at home rather than at school,” Shook said. “The connection in the [Google] Meet is a big problem. I also have a difficult time concentrating. Sitting in front of the screen all day makes it hard to want to do work. In school, I was able to socialize and stay focused.”

These issues affect every student who learns online. But how different is the learning experience?

“It’s different in so many ways,” Razo explained. “It is harder to get work done because I get easily distracted. It’s hard not to look at my phone; there’s nobody to tell me I can’t use it.”

The lack of communication with others and increase in distractions has caused many students to become overwhelmed by the large amount of work they put off because they were unmotivated or just tired of doing it.

“There have been many times where I have felt overwhelmed,” Shook said. “Having multiple classes with multiple assignments can be very stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes you might have a question for the teacher, but they don’t respond in time.”

These challenges have caused students to struggle during distance learning, where they are expected to learn each class’ material and continue learning with homework, causing students to spend most of their day in front of a screen.