Verdugo Academy students are independent learners - they're already good at remote learning! Students were assigned an article on Newsela ("Tips for Students Who are New to Virtual Learning") about working from home. I then asked them for suggestions for students who are new at remote learning so those kids can be successful, too. Here are some of the responses: 

“Always stay engaged. Being at home means a lot more distractions, but during learning time you need to focus and understand the information you are receiving.”

“A couple tips for students that are new to virtual learning are schedule your work time, study, and stay positive.”

“Always be attentive.  When you’re sitting in front of the laptop, it can be really easy to get bored and go on your phone! When on your phone you are focused on it, so you’re not listening or looking at what the teacher is saying or writing. It’s very important to be attentive especially during this time so you can be successful.”

“I would advise someone to make a schedule for their daily academic routine. It can help to write it down so it can be seen easily. It is also useful to keep track of their progress, so they don't worry about not knowing how much more work they need to do. For me, I write the percentage of completion for my courses on a board and update it daily.”

"Do not white knuckle your way through all the work because you will burn yourself out, then find yourself sitting in front of a screen doing nothing."

"Make sure you are keeping up with the work, getting behind can seriously mess up your scheduling."

"Make a plan and stick with it. It's hard in the beginning but it will get easier as you go along."

Edited to add new suggestions by students, 3/8/2023:

The first few weeks at my current school were difficult weeks. I was still learning how to manage my schedule, and it took a while until I finally managed to figure out how. I would highly recommend learning how to manage your time wisely, as this will help you turn in your assignments on time, without stressing yourself, and while still having free time to relax. - NV

Keep focused and not do things too quickly because you don't have your teacher to help you and sometimes the parents are working too. - WG

Staying calm is key, you’ll feel much more comfortable in the school. Just don’t worry about not knowing much about the school because you will learn in no time. - JA

Make sure you are very open to everything and everyone to make sure you're learning and making friends. Maybe tell some things about yourself and where you are from, and this way you can learn, meet new people, make a lot of friends. - PS

During my first few weeks at my middle school, I had to get used to a completely new form of learning. After a few weeks, I became more accustomed to the new way of learning because of one extremely helpful asset: a schedule. I would recommend a new student to set a schedule for all of their work since it can help you to focus on the work you have for one day and it allows you to avoid getting overwhelmed by a large amount of work. -JD

Do your school work and try your best. If your best isn’t enough, work harder. - WP

Sometimes it might be difficult to change things after you've gotten used to them for a while. Have a list of everything you need to do and add a little humor to your projects. It makes them fun and also is a good break from all the essays that you have to write. Overall, being more organized is useful wherever you are so try to make it a habit. :) - DK

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Organizing your time can be a challenge in independent study. Here's a video to help you plan for success: HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR NEW ELEARNING LIFE | A Time Management Tutorial for Students.