'It's exhausting.' A year of distance learning wears thin JEFF AMY, KANTELE FRANKO, CEDAR ATTANASIO, and CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press March 12, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail 21 1of21Graciela Leahy, 13, an eighth grader at Ohio's Columbus Gifted Academy, works on her computer in her bedroom, in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2021, to begin a stretch of nearly six straight hours at her desk. A year later in the pandemic, the unplanned experiment with distance learning continues for thousands of students like Leahy who have yet to set foot back in classrooms.Jay LaPrete/APShow MoreShow Less 2of21Kristen King, 17, a junior at Americus-Sumter High School, in Americus, Ga., sits on her living room couch, attending school via a Chromebook propped on a TV tray, in Americus, Ga., March 1, 2021. "It's been challenging," Kristen said. "I like hands-on help from my teachers. We can't really see our friends, like our school friends. We can't really socialize with them. We can't really do anything."Jeff Amy/APShow MoreShow Less