Like many schools across the country, Beaver Area High School has been online for weeks now. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools were forced to go online for the rest of the school year. However, many students are still adapting to the change. Here are some tips to get you through your online classes.

First, turn off all distractions (yes, this means TikTok). While doing schoolwork, put down the cellular device and focus! The brain can retain much more information without all of the other distractions. Additionally, make sure you are in a quiet place (like your room) away from the commotion in your house so you can better focus on learning the information being shared.

Get on a schedule. If you create your own schedule to follow, the work won’t seem endless. Just take a regular school day (seven periods) and divide it into 45 minutes “periods”. This doesn’t mean you have to wake up at seven in the morning. In fact, you can wake up at nine and still be done with most schoolwork by lunch time!

Admit it: every student is guilty of procrastination, but don’t wait until the last minute! Plan to do your work the day before it is due. Planning ahead will minimize the schoolwork you have each day—plus it allows for unexpected snags like connectivity problems or going outside because the sun came out . . . or a really long and important FaceTime session with your friend followed by too much Super Smash on your Switch.

In fact, many teachers advocate doing your schoolwork a day in advance.

“Don’t procrastinate on your school work,” advises math teacher Mr. Corey Shinton. “Create a schedule that works best for you and do the work the day before so it doesn’t become too stressful. If you plan ahead, you have time to ask the teacher for help.”

Other than creating your own schedule, not procrastinating, and turning off all distractions, remember to email your teachers if you have any questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! That’s what teachers are there for. And they are there. Many answer emails late into the evening or have set “office hours” when they do nothing but answer your questions and offer help.

Not only can you ask your teachers, but you can ask your friends who are taking the same classes as you. Your classmates can come in handy. If you don’t know an answer, why not ask a friend? I mean your friends are one text away . . . just don’t get too distracted by the TikToks they start telling you about after explaining how to do that math problem.

The transition to online learning might be difficult, but hang in there and use some of these pointers to help you. Finish out this school year strong!

“We may be in tough times,” said science teacher Ms. Kara Reffitt, “but we can get through this. Keep up the good work and communicate with your teachers if you need help. Stay strong.”