By Travis Wu
CK Express’ purpose is to make our lives easier, acting as a tool to improve our quality of education by disabling unacademic websites. But does it really? Unfortunately, it’s done the exact opposite of its purpose. Every time I try to do my homework, I’m greeted by this sinister sight of CK Express and its spinning wheel of death tormenting me. Every. Single. Time.
The wait times are insane. I’m the type of person who loves doing homework on my Chromebook because I feel more productive on it; however, I quickly realize that this backfires as I have to wait several minutes just for CK Express to get off my loading screen. Even when the CK Express loading screen disappears, the lag is considerably worse compared to previous years when CK Express was not applied to our Chromebooks.
It’s like I’m doing homework from outer space with no internet connection. The constant freezes disrupt the learning process, making it difficult to concentrate on homework.
What is CK Express even doing with all these updates and scans? Surely at some point, my Chromebook does not need to update every day, right? Are they checking for ways to torture students? I still do not understand the need to show in big font “CK EXPRESS” every time I open my Chromebook.
Is it a big advertising scheme for CK Express to show off its brand? By the time, my Chromebook loads in, I’m already half-asleep on my bed.
CK Express also blocks some useful academic websites. For example, websites such as educational forums, resource libraries and even some interactive learning platforms are marked as “not allowed” under CK Express’s restrictions. This only adds to the frustration as these sites are crucial for completing assignments and conducting research. Blocking these resources feels counterproductive to the very goal of “enhancing” education.
Students already have enough on their plates with assignments, projects and studying. The last thing we need is additional stress from a system that is supposed to support us. CK Express has become a barrier rather than a bridge to learning. A tool meant to improve education is now a prime source of academic frustration.
Please, for the sake of our sanity and productivity, let’s remove CK Express. It’s not good.
