With the end of Millard’s four day weeks students have to emotionally prepare to face five weeks of straight school head on.

Switching off between Mondays and Fridays, it gave the chance for the students to have an e-learning day once a week to give the district a chance to operate with low staff. For people like high school students, it is a day to relax, sleep in, do some school work, hang out with friends, or pick up an extra shift at work. Middle school students have the ability to stay at home and do some busy work at home. Elementary school students have to have their parents take off work or find some childcare provider because they aren’t able to keep their kids home alone during the day.

The feeling of having e-learning days is mixed, to say the least. A lot of high school students say they prefer having an e-learning day because it gives them an extra day of break. It gives them a chance to pick up an extra shift at work, the ability to sleep in for a day, or even a chance to hang out with friends after their school work. 

“I love e-learning days,” senior Gabriel Castro said. “I live half an hour away, so it gives me a chance to rest, and pick up an extra shift at work while still being able to do my school work,” he said.

  Middle schoolers have a little less freedom but still get the chance to sleep in, do some school work and rest for the day, while they may not be able to go out as freely as the high schoolers, they still can be home alone if need be. 

Isabel Medina, an 8th grader at Andersen Middle School said, “I love the fact that I get to sleep in and stay home, but I find it hard to learn sometimes with e-learning, and I am not able to see my friends.”

While all students would love the day off, some parents may disagree. Parents of elementary school students have to take off work to watch their kids because especially the younger kindergarteners and first graders cannot really stay at home alone. 

Senior Kristian Pedus has siblings in elementary school, and his parents said e-learning days would be hard if they did not have Kristian to take care of them. 

“I am okay with e- learning days because it gives continuity to the students’ learning,” Eric Patd said.

Teachers have mixed feelings about e-learning as well. Some teachers enjoy the days off to be able to catch up on grading or planning, while some teachers fear students will not do what was asked of them and fall behind. Some students do well and finish all the required materials, and some take the day to slack off and not get anything done, putting them further behind.  While for the time being Millard does not have any more four day weeks, it could be put up for consideration again if another spike of COVID-19 hits.