Student perspectives: the pros and cons of distance learning

By Karina Mascorro, David Sanchez, Valeria Echeverria and Ronishlla Maharaj

Like students throughout California, students in the West Contra Costa Unified School District headquartered in Richmond have been grappling with distance learning instituted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is possible or even likely that distance learning will be a prominent part of the school landscape this fall as well. With that in mind, we we are bringing you these students’ reflections on their experiences with distance learning and being out of school generally  — what worked and what didn’t. Friday is officially the last day of school in the district, but some of these interviews were conducted earlier this semester. Students’ remarks have been edited in some instances for clarity.