Even though Brentsville District High School is doing online learning currently, students are still being assigned schoolwork regularly every week. That work can seem intimidating and hard to complete for some students, especially for those students who are struggling in some subjects.

Many students may also be experiencing Zoom fatigue when attending Zoom classes and getting schoolwork done. The number of hours that students spend on Zoom to attend classes add up, leaving students feeling drained from looking at a screen for most of the day.

Sophomore CJ Earhart experiences Zoom fatigue when attending his online classes many days a week. Earhart thinks that the fatigue is caused by looking at the computer screen for a long time. He has stated that he “finds it hard to focus on schoolwork with it being online, and some students find it hard to learn and work online.”

Earhart’s solutions for staying focused on schoolwork is limiting distractions and printing out some work. When dealing with fatigue, Earhart said that students should “get good sleep and take intermediate breaks in between classes.”

Sophomore Christian Moran also deals with Zoom fatigue during his online classes. Moran has stated that the fatigue could be caused by the workload and how the assignments get stacked up for some students.

Moran has also said that students may do better with being handed work and given instructions in person instead of the learning being online. However, due to the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, BDHS is having students attend online classes through Zoom meetings and using the Canvas platform for students’ and faculty members’ safety.

Moran’s solutions for dealing with the fatigue is taking breaks when needed, going outside, and trying to limit screen time as much as possible.

Sophomore James Mouser experiences Zoom fatigue as well when attending online Zoom classes and completing schoolwork online. Mouser gets Zoom fatigue from staring at the computer screen for too long and a lack of breaks from working on schoolwork.

Mouser believes that online school affects students’ focus because “some students might want to play a game or be on their phones, as teachers cannot really control that.” Students may not focus on their schoolwork with other distractions, such as cellphones, near them that could interfere with their focus on work. Mouser has said that teachers should give students more breaks to lessen the fatigue.

When struggling with Zoom fatigue, students should try to take breaks in between their schoolwork and Zoom classes. Online learning has its challenges, such as Zoom fatigue, but there are some solutions to those challenges.