Middle school and high school have been crazy this year, and an asynchronous day can help us with a lot of things. We can reset and focus, get all caught up on homework, or maybe just take a break from wearing a mask all day. Here are some examples of what students are up to on asynchronous Wednesdays:

(Editor’s note: responses have been edited for clarity)

• “I think asynchronous days help everyone to reset in the week, and it gives everyone more time to do things that aren’t related to school or work.”
• “I think asynchronous Wednesdays help me because I can get my homework done, and get ahead of things. I also help my sister and brothers out by babysitting their children.”
• “I do school work after I wake up at 2.”
• “I can’t speak for everyone but it gives a little breather. School is stressful and suffocating. Sometimes we need a break or some extra time to get things done. I think it’s really good mentally.”
• “In all honesty I spend my asynchronous days checking in with my first block in the morning, going to the “To-Do” section of Google classroom and seeing what I have to accomplish, complete, or just do if I forgot to do the assignment. (On some asynchronous days I watch TV on the couch or go back to sleep after checking in on the first block in all honesty.”
• “It gives them (those who aren’t in AP classes) a good mental break from a full school day and even AP students don’t have the workload equal to a whole day of school.”
• “It’s helpful because it gives teachers a day to grade and get caught up with stuff, while students can work on their homework. It’s not very stressful because it’s easier to stay on top of your stuff when you have a whole day to do your homework.”
• “I play video games and I do homework. We sometimes go bike riding or on a hike on asynchronous Wednesday too.”
• “I sleep in and then get to work on homework. I normally use that time to finish any readings for English, annotations for global studies, and finish my article for journalism.

As you can see, the asynchronous day is helpful for everyone in many different ways. It gives a lot of students, parents, and teachers a relaxing day without thinking about this worldwide pandemic.