Pulling myself out of bed, one hour earlier than before, was how I started off the first day of hybrid learning in Cohort C. Apart from the familiar feeling of definitely not getting enough good sleep, there were also schedule changes galore to keep up with. Zoom classes would be shortened by 70 minutes, with only 5 minutes between classes. All jammed together to, somehow, fit within less than three hours.

Where things start to change, between Cohorts, is after the last Zoom. For other Cohorts, it’s off to eat before you head off to school. For Cohort C though, school’s practically over. Anything you haven’t done during the shortened Zooms are now homework, and you’re on your own. This is true for A and B, depending on the day, but for C it’s constant.

I can’t say that I dislike this. Personally, having more freedom with my schedule, and being able to get everything done quickly, is much better than previously. The Zoom rush was easy to get used to — though I still need to check the schedule every so often so I can remember when the next Zoom is. The main problem lay in Wednesday.

When Homeroom happened at 10:30 am, I was able to sleep in and wake up around the same time I do on weekends, and still be able to wash my hair before having to attend Homeroom. Now, I wake up at the time that I did for distance learning and have to speed through washing my hair if I want to make it on time. Not to mention the fact that clubs are immediately after homeroom.

Despite setting an alarm for 9:25 am, I thought to myself that I didn’t need to head into my club Zoom immediately. By the time I realized that, yes, clubs are meeting at 9:30 am now, It was already 10:00 am. There are also the office hours/Cohort C exclusive Zooms, but most of the teachers I have don’t require Cohort C to go in. So, it’s another day of waking up way too early for comfort, in exchange for clubs, a bit of time to get some help on assignments, and… whatever homeroom is.

Overall, Cohort C is great if you’re able to manage your time well for yourself. Having to switch gears to the new schedule does suck, but at the very least it wasn’t in the middle of a week. And, well, most importantly, it keeps your family safe.