With the Venice High School semester half way done, the Class of 2024 is three months away from graduating. Every senior is excited or getting nervous about graduating, because they are getting close to the next step in life.

However there is the memory that comes back once in a while, and that’s when the senior class started their freshman year during COVID.

As we all know, 2020 was one of the scariest and most dangerous years in history. During this time everyone was ordered to quarantine for the safety of the world, and at the time LAUSD classes were hosted on Zoom during the beginning of the 2020-2021 year. 

During eighth grade when the pandemic began, we got used to going to classes on Zoom. Some students enjoyed it, some didn’t, or some just wanted to sleep. There were pros (like how you were safe at home) and cons (like how it was difficult to learn things). Students were often unhappy with still being on zoom, and some students wanted to be with their friends. 

“Because a lot of students did not turn on their camera on Zoom, it was really hard to check for students’ understanding for assignments and seeing feedback from their facial expressions,” said math teacher Tim Liang. “Now coming back to school, I get to interact with students and I get instant feedback from students when they need help with assignments.”

According to senior Gabriel Arauza, school online was somewhat less challenging, but there were social challenges

“Teachers did give easier work,and it was easier to get things done,” he said. “But the cons were that you couldn’t socialize a lot. You know it was a little hard at the time.”

It would seem that some teachers weren’t so happy with teaching on Zoom but some actually enjoyed it. 

“I enjoyed it, because I didn’t have to deal with students asking to use the restroom or to have them put their phones away,” said English teacher Ruth Greene. “However I did miss the interactions with students and it was also difficult to make sure they were doing their work.” 

Senior Victoria Eisenstein said that school has gotten better after classes on Zoom ended.

“I believe one important lesson I’ve learned was the importance of how communication between students is one of the most important aspects of learning that helps you grow and helps you learn new things.”