By now, we are all aware of the current pandemic. COVID-19 has completely taken the world by storm and has changed life as we know it. Not all of the outcomes have been bad — take hybrid learning, for example. 

Hybrid learning takes the students’ need for in-person teaching and mixes it with the safety of being at home. They get the best of both worlds. Some students can focus much better at home with the hybrid model. It is a great way for all students to benefit. 

The hybrid model has students going to school two days a week and being at home for the other three. They get in-person learning time where we can ask questions and get help with things we do not understand, but students also get to be independent, work at their own pace, and learn time management skills. 

In an article from educationdrive.com, Laurie Wolfe, the head academic officer at Gem Innovation Schools in Napa, Idaho, gave her thoughts: “One thing that [our teachers] have realized is that their students in the brick-and-mortar setting are far less independent than students in the online setting.”

The hybrid model is also similar to a typical college schedule. Students are only meeting with teachers once or twice a week and are doing most of  their work on their own time. This will help students adjust better if they choose to pursue higher education. 

Many people who are against the hybrid model have raised the question, “Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of online education, keeping our students safe from COVID?” Yes, while students are now being exposed to others, it is much more limited now than if everyone were fully back in the building. 

We now have less people in the building at a time, which limits the spread. There are also mask regulations, social distancing policies, and assigned seats, making it easier to contact trace if anyone comes down with the virus. 

The hybrid schedule is beneficial to students as it provides a realistic college prep setting while also accommodating for student safety. Win-win.