Being away from a physical classroom for 18 months has affected student’s energy levels and it shows. Since coming back in person, I’ve noticed that classes aren’t as lively as they used to be. Before the pandemic, my classes used to have real conversations but now, it feels as though sometimes the teacher is still talking to a black screen. While some of the time it can be nice to work in silence, I prefer the background chatter that comes with being in class. I hope the longer we stay in person, the more it will go back to how it used to be.
When we first came back in person, teachers were more sensitive to the effects of the pandemic on their students but as the semester has progressed, I’ve felt as though classes are going back to the way it used to be. While yes, we should be moving forward with our education, the experiences we’ve been going through are nothing like our generation has seen before. We’re all experiencing an unprecedented time and both teachers and students should show more empathy towards each other, or else we might never get back to a sense of normalcy.
-Ella Thomas, staff writer
Coming back from school after a whole year of online school results in many changes, a key one being about mental health. I feel that many students’ mental health has worsened. Online school drained a lot of people’s mental health, as it was hard to concentrate and participate. Being back in school physically is even more overwhelming and difficult for me. The workload is tough on a lot of students, which causes more of a drain towards their mental health. I see more and more students not being able to finish their work on time, and that can stress them out even more. Especially with finals week happening, it means more time set aside for school, and less time for student’s mental health.
Something else I’ve noticed is that the worries about COVID have decreased. At the beginning of the year many students and staff were concerned about the pandemic. After being used to in person school, some people have stopped having this worry. I see more people having their masks either below their nose, or off completely. I think people should still care about this pandemic, as some people are more at risk than others and live with people at higher risk. During the first month of school, staff cared about if students ate in class and in the halls. But now students leisurely do both.
-Jessica Chow, staff writer
