As a social butterfly and active learner in group settings, sitting at home, zooming into all of my classes at school, and staying on mute is not an ideal situation. My own house that used to be a place where I could have a break from all of my responsibilities became the heart of all my new challenges and school work.
Shorter class periods mean more individual work, which wouldn’t be a problem if more than half of the student body wasn’t struggling through more than 4 AP classes. The teachers have office hours for help, exactly for these situations, but only over zoom. It’s hard to catch them at a good moment, so their help has become minuscule. The teachers are just as new to this as the students and I have seen first hand how hard they are trying to make this work. Online labs, video lessons, and formative quizzes have all become a daily routine. That is not the best-case scenario, but it is just another factor that can present the subjects when the teachers can not be there.
School, for some time, became this 45-minute call every now and then. It was an uneventful time that was in a constant loop of wake up, hear a lecture, lunch, another lecture. School has always been more than just education, it was also the social life, the connection you make while walking down the halls, the school spirit at football games. I have learned to appreciate the tiniest of details and how big of a difference they can make.
Even though the world has turned upside down, I personally have become more mature because of these conditions. I am learning how to present new information to myself and learn with minimal guidance. I am learning how to be more aware of my surroundings now that my school is reopening its doors and campus to students. I am learning how to engage with others even at a distance and help them learn as well as myself. Looking at the positives is what keeps this school year going.
The high school experience that every senior wants is not in the cards for my class, the class of 2021. No matter what, we are going to make the best of every minute.