'It's exhausting.' A year of distance learning wears thin

AMERICUS, Ga. (AP) — At first, many schools announced it would last only a couple weeks. A year later, the unplanned experiment with distance learning continues for thousands of students who have yet to set foot back in classrooms.

Comfortable homes and private tutors have made it easier for those with access. Expectations are higher at some schools than others. And growing numbers of students are being offered in-person instruction at least part time.

But students of all backgrounds have faced struggles with technology, the distractions of home life, and social isolation. The Associated Press followed four students on a typical day to find out how they’re coping a year into the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s not quite 9 a.m. and Kristen King is on her living room couch, a Chromebook propped on a TV tray.

“It’s been challenging,” says the 17-year-old junior at Americus-Sumter High School in Georgia. “I like hands-on help from my teachers. We can’t really see our friends, like our school friends. We can’t really socialize with them. We can’t really do anything.”

Her Advanced Placement English instructor puts on a recording of a speech President George W. Bush gave on Sept. 11 — part of a discussion about tone in writing and speaking.

Kristen, who is not a morning person, fights off yawns, plays music to help her focus and messages with friends.

“The first 30 minutes of class, I won’t really be there,” she says.

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In Española, New Mexico, Javin Lujan Lopez joins a video chat with his football teammates for study hall. It’s a way for the Pojoaque Elks football players to spend time alone, together.

His first class is finance. When the teacher asks how the owner of a lemonade stand might increase their profits, Javin types his answer in the...