Wednesday finally came! I walked onto campus feeling nervous even though I had walked these same grounds for two years because my junior high school is next door. Everything looked and felt different now that I was in senior high.

I looked at my schedule. First period—German. Our German teacher was very friendly and I liked her from the beginning. What I didn't like, though, was that I was surrounded by students from other grades, with only five familiar faces.

Then I had to walk all the way across the campus and up three flights of stairs to get to my second period—biology. Our teacher's name is Ms Compeau, and I thought that she would teach us a lot this year because she was very to the point. She also had her unique way of saying "be quiet"; she said "alligator". She explained that she was the king, or should I say queen, of the class because alligators are the “king of the swamps (沼泽)”.

My third class was English. After surviving two periods without too much of a challenge, I began to feel good. However, the third period changed everything. Mr V. , my English teacher, told us that we would have to write 40 essays(文章) and read AP-level books such as TheOdyssey this year. I love reading and writing, but 40 essays? AP-level books? Now I am scared. He also talked about how important it was to be focused. Last year was not a very “focused” year for me. While doing homework, I was often talking on the phone, or busy with a conversation on Meta. I planned on stepping it up this year because I wanted to be an excellent student.

School is tough enough as it is, but distance learning presents a whole new challenge. Many students struggle to focus on their homework when they study at home, as online courses call for self-discipline(自律).

Motivate(激励) yourself. Think about how traditional classroom settings motivate students to get their work done： deadlines written on a whiteboard, friendly reminders and suggestions from teachers, and group study sessions with classmates.  Write down your deadlines and get in touch with your classmates to study together and quiz each other online.

 You're not the only one to struggle with online learning, so don't be afraid to get in touch with your teacher and classmates with any questions you might have. Similarly, remember your teacher and classmates might reach out to you with questions as well. Respond to their messages in a timely manner to keep open lines of communication.

Find a good study spot. Houses are full of distractions(分散注意力的事物)—especially if you're in no mood to study. Set yourself up for success by reducing these distractions and creating an environment where it is easy to do schoolwork.  Leave your phone in another room in order to avoid the temptation(诱惑) from social media or online games.

Use what you have. One of the many benefits of online learning is having endless Internet resources.  Be familiar with study resources and open education sites, and then use them to help your studies and quiz yourself before exams. Online classes might require more self-discipline than classroom learning, but that hard work will surely pay off.

We also had different students in some classes, so all the faces and names.

They could be missing for the world.