On Apr. 22, students and faculty will have an additional day of working and catching up on any missing assignments from home. This asynchronous day was added due to the one snow day over the planned two in the calendar on Jan. 16, Jan. 17 and Jan. 19.
Originally, Apr. 22 was a professional development day for teachers but now asynchronous learning has been added. Students will be assigned work from their teachers, they will have access to communicate with their teachers if they have questions.
Having an asynchronous day allows students to flexibly work and complete assignments by themselves at home. “Students will engage in learning experiences and complete work asynchronously,” according to the Montgomery County Public School website.
As MCPS navigates through this new plan, they remain committed to providing students with a high-quality education. The asynchronous virtual learning day on Apr. 22 is one example of the school’s ongoing efforts to adapt and innovate in order to provide the best possible educational experience for the students.
This approach to virtual learning can offer numerous benefits for students. It can grant a greater experience of learning, and enable students to focus on areas where they may need additional support. It can also help students gain independence and organization.
Students say that this make-up is not needed. “I think that it’s not necessary because one day of assignments isn’t significant. They could just tell us to use that day to complete old homework or just give us the day off,” junior Melissa Lee said.
Teachers are getting prepared for a new schedule and way of teaching their students for a day. As this asynchronous day was originally a professional day for teachers, they are now having to plan lessons and assignments. “I think the asynchronous day on the 22nd is a solid compromise. Since we weren’t able to utilize the virtual learning model after going through all of our snow days, this helps us avoid adding days to the end of the year. Having the asynchronous day allows us to still benefit from the professional day and will enable students to learn in a flexible environment,” English teacher Catherine Boswell said.
Asynchronous learning for students does not require the students to attend school but allows them to learn and work from home. “I think it’s a good way to test virtual learning. It will help MCPS determine if virtual learning days should be in place,” sophomore Zach King said.
Throughout their four years of high school, seniors have never experienced an asynchronous day, yet they had virtual learning back in their freshman year due to COVID. Having this asynchronous day will give seniors time to adjust their schedules and focus on working on their school assignments. “I am looking forward to it because I am excited to decide my own schedule of when I can complete my assignments, ” senior Lizzie Misovec said.
