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All school year, Montenique Woodard鈥檚 seventh period, her last class of the day, has been her hardest. 鈥淚 feel like I don't know what to do with them,鈥� she said of her middle school science class when 麻豆传媒入口 first talked to her back in the fall. One boy in particular, the 鈥渃lass clown,鈥� was a persistent challenge, and his behavior influenced his 23 peers, 15 of whom are boys.

But reconnecting months later during the coronavirus closures, Woodard shared some surprising news: the same boy was 鈥渢hriving鈥� during remote learning. 鈥淚 think not having those everyday distractions in school has really allowed for kids like him to focus on the work and not necessarily all the social things going on because some kids can't separate that out,鈥� said Woodard, who teaches in Washington, D.C.

We鈥檝e been hearing that a lot. Increasingly, teachers in our audience are reporting that a handful of their students鈥攕hy kids, hyperactive kids, highly creative kids鈥攁re suddenly doing better with remote learning than they were doing in the physical classroom. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been awesome to see some of my kids finally find their niche in education,鈥� said Holli Ross, a first-year high school teacher in northern California, echoing the sentiments of dozens of teachers we鈥檝e heard from.

That鈥檚 not to say it鈥檚 the norm. Many students are struggling to adapt to remote learning: Digital access and connectivity remain a pervasive equity issue; stay-at-home orders have magnified existing problems in familial dynamics; and, universally, teachers and students grapple with how to replicate the engagement and discourse from an in-person classroom.

But it鈥檚 not a tiny handful, either, and the unplanned break from the physical classroom may be bringing to light聽 hidden reasons some kids struggle while others succeed. In the responses we gathered from our educators, we found recurring themes鈥攍ike social situations聽and the inflexible聽 bell schedule鈥攖hat simply don鈥檛 work well for all kids. For a few of the teachers, at least, it鈥檚 inspired them to consider making permanent changes when they return to the classroom.

The Benefits of Self-Pacing

On average, the typical high school student . While school schedules differ by district, many students then face back-to-back classes with little reprieve. But during the pandemic, school schedules have suddenly become more fluid, allowing students more choice over when and how they do their school work.

鈥淚 think a few of mine are doing really well getting a taste of more independence,鈥� said Lauren Huddleston, a middle school English teacher in Memphis, Tennessee. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking ownership a bit more because they鈥檙e no longer under the micromanagement of the school day.鈥�

This flexibility to make their own hours is also giving students a chance to exercise, take breaks, or even be bored, all of which research shows is beneficial. High school English teacher Ashlee Tripp speculated these kids were doing well because, 鈥渢hey enjoy the freedom to work at their own pace and decide how they want their day to look,鈥� and students seem to agree.

鈥淭he reason I enjoy online learning is because of the opportunity to structure my day efficiently,鈥� wrote a 10th grade student聽in聽English聽teacher聽Katie Burrows-Stone鈥檚 class survey. 鈥淚 am able to workout, relax, and complete the work in a timely manner, with no distractions.鈥�

Time to Rethink the Overextended Kid

During the school day, many students remain constantly on the go. Lunches are often filled with club meetings. After school, many participate in extracurriculars or sports鈥攐ften 鈥攐r work a part-time job. On average, high school students spend a minimum of a week on homework at night.

After enrichment activities were canceled due to shelter-in-place orders, our teachers say they also saw a difference in some students鈥� performance.

鈥淔or my students, there are some that are thriving. I think it is partly because so many things like sports and social activities are no longer happening and they have more time than they ever had to work on school work,鈥� said Kasey Short, a middle school English and social studies teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, by way of explanation.

Research has found jam-packed schedules can be a significant challenge for a child to juggle: Students who are over-committed, especially if they feel obligated to take certain courses or participate in activities, are more likely to .

鈥淭his has given me so much pause about what we are doing in education: Is our current model way too much? Why would anyone need to have seven classes? Why does the school day need to be so long?" said Rosie Reid, a high school English teacher and the 2019 California Teacher of the Year. 鈥淚 can't say enough about how this closure has changed my entire approach to teaching because I see how it has been an amazing respite for so many students.鈥澛�

Lowering the Stakes

Other teachers point to the changing academic expectations during the pandemic as a causal link. Given the structure of home learning鈥攁nd pervasive equity issues鈥攎any school systems have encouraged teachers to be more lenient with coursework and grading.

鈥淚 think a huge part of [some students鈥� work improving] is that we鈥檝e dramatically ratcheted down the total workload in order to make tasks accessible rather than overwhelming,鈥� said Mark Gardner, high school English teacher in Camas, Washington.

According to a , teens cite academic pressure as the top pressure they face, with 61 percent of teens reporting they feel the heat to achieve at a certain level academically. Teachers too, have also been under in the last decade-plus to prepare students to hit benchmarks on standardized testing, pressure that , who are to report unhealthy levels of stress during the school year compared to the summer.

鈥淥ne student told me he likes remote learning better because he no longer feels the extreme pressure of failing,鈥� said Cathleen Beachboard, a middle school English teacher in Fauquier County, Virginia, who says other students in her class have expressed similar sentiments. 鈥淗e says that now that the pressure of state testing is off, he feels he can really learn.鈥�

Reducing the Chatter

Though we鈥檝e seen many comments鈥攆rom both students and teachers鈥攁bout missing the in-person connections and relationships at school, for some students, school socialization may be fraught with anxiety, our teachers suggest.

鈥淪tudents who have been victims of physical or verbal bullying while at school are likely to be relieved to be home in a safe space,鈥� said Elena Spathis, high school Spanish teacher in Hillsdale, New Jersey.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2017, at least ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school. Students who are the most bullied have also been found to have than their non-bullied peers.

For other students, socialization at school may not be negative per se, just distracting or intimidating. Nearly have reported feeling pressure to 鈥渓ook good鈥� or 鈥渇it in socially鈥� at school, which can influence their participation and focus in class. 鈥淭he online environment may allow for voices to be heard without the added bit of social anxiety,鈥� said Blake Harvard, a psychology teacher in Madison, Alabama.

Getting Enough Z's

Lastly, teachers commented that the difference they鈥檝e observed in some students鈥� performance may be tied, simply, to sleep. Like many teachers鈥攁nd workers across the country鈥攎ost聽students are no longer waking up to a very early alarm clock.

鈥淚 have the time to sleep eight hours a night every night [now],鈥� said Ingrid, a high school junior in California, when asked what she likes about remote learning.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for teens ages 12-18 and 12 hours for children ages 6-12, a across 30 states found more than 70 percent of students were not getting enough sleep during the school year.

Though the long-standing debate over school start times never seems to end, when the Seattle school district by an hour at one school in 2016-2017, researchers found students鈥� sleep increased and grades improved.

鈥淭here are kids who have a hard time getting to class at 8:30, but they might do really well getting their work done at 10:30 at night or even 10:30 in the morning. They just need a couple extra hours,鈥� said Ross.聽

Youki Terada contributed research insights to this article.