Riverdale is renowned for the ways in which it builds a community of bright, curious, and motivated students through community engagement. Many students participate in competitive sports, service learning projects, debate competitions, political activism, the arts, club meetings, and myriad extracurricular activities. This year, Covid-19 has clouded our path forward. Although hybrid learning has hampered many of these activities and led to a general malaise, students have found ways to remain creative and productive. In fact, many students have become more creative and productive, perhaps stemming from better sleep patterns and additional time to exercise.
Most students agree that the 9 A.M. start time has been beneficial to their productivity and creativity. Junior Nelson Spiegel explained, “I'm able to finish my homework a lot earlier in the night with our much more student-friendly schedule. I feel more creative and more productive with more sleep.”
Senior Sophie Divilek has noticed advantages of the 9 A.M. start: “As I have more free time, even the change in walking for a minimum of an hour a day has allowed me to be more active.” In the absence of ongoing athletic seasons, students finding alternative outlets for physical activity is an unintended yet beneficial consequence to hybrid learning.
Team practices and sports games have always been a significant part of many Riverdale students’ daily routines. But, not surprisingly, students have found silver linings in their individual, at-home workouts during this time. Divilek explained, “working out alone lets me dedicate specific workouts for areas you want, which helps me feel more accomplished and happy since it is me working on personal goals. Additionally, I feel as if I can understand myself better when working out to feel better or enjoy my workout more, making it more fun than mandated.” Spiegel has experienced the same positive impact. “Although I'm not able to conduct the same sports practices that I've had in the past, I think it's been a net increase for the amount of physical activity each week,” he said. Being active is not only important for students to remain fit and healthy, but it is also important for students’ mental health. Even though every-day sports remain up in the air, increased physical activity is helpful for students in countless ways.
Several Riverdale students have had difficulty maintaining motivation and developing adequate routines during hybrid learning. Spiegel expressed that his motivation levels are much less consistent than previous years: “I've definitely become more self-reliant with hybrid learning. I'm really forced to self-motivate in a way that I've never had to before Covid-19.”
Sophomore Shira Mandelzis expressed that she has also struggled with motivation. “My motivation has definitely decreased because of the loss of the routine I used to have. Being on Zoom all day, five days a week is very mentally and physically draining,” she said. Although Mandelzis feels her motivation levels have decreased, she explained that her “lack of motivation” has made her more creative. “It has forced me to filter out what only slightly interests me and focus on what I really enjoy doing,” said Mendelzis.
Most students agree that the 9 A.M. start time has been beneficial to their productivity and creativity. Spiegel explained, “I'm able to finish my homework a lot earlier in the night with our much more student-friendly schedule. I feel more creative and more productive with more sleep.”
There is no question that hybrid learning has changed the routines of Riverdalians for the better and for the worse. Since we are powerless in overcoming many of the detriments associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the positives is of utmost importance. Students have grown in ways that a typical in-person, five-day school week never necessarily allowed for, and although many still lack a stable routine, as poet John Milton said, “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
