What's your Zoom setup?

By Sage Walker

COVID-19 has affected many people in different ways. School at Judge has changed significantly from what it was last year. Gone are the five-day weeks, and now students are split into two groups, with half staying online Monday-Tuesday, and the other half Thursday-Friday. While students spend time working from home, a consistent homeschool area is certain to develop. 

From views of cameras on laptops, one would be willing to assume that most homeschool setups would be desks. However, this does not seem to be entirely accurate.

“I actually don’t use a desk. I sit on my bed,” senior Ali Fernandez said. “And I  feel like I have many friends that typically stay in their bed as well.” 

Many other students said that they would choose to stay in their bed over their desk, and some said that they would switch to their desk if something important (like a test or quiz) had to be done. Having a dual home setup, and switching between was a common trend between students, as having scene changes between classes online can help with motivation. 

Other students have opted to move their homeschool setups out of their rooms.

“I actually have a pretty nice view of my backyard,” senior Mark Monette said. 

By moving their desk out of their room, students can create a disconnect between school and home, allowing for a more focused work environment. Many students feel that by having a change in scenery, they can imagine that they are not sitting at home for multiple hours a day. A few other students seemed to have a separate desk outside of their room to attend online classes. Other students who did not have desks outside of their rooms made changes elsewhere. 

“I have a standing desk,” Ishmael Elliott Molina-Zepeda said, “which is very helpful for me because I feel like since I’m going to be home three days a week, and sitting in Zoom calls for the majority of the day, I feel like a mix between just sitting down and standing is much healthier.” 

The most important thing that seems to help students with online schooling is change. Variety seems to be an important aspect of many students’ online learning experiences. By changing things around them, students feel more in control, more focused, more healthy, and less tired. 

A little variety has helped these students with their school lives during these times disrupted by COVID-19. Why not try to change something yourself and see if you like it as well?