Life Through a Screen- By Alexandra Forman

 Life Through a Screen

By: Alexandra Forman

Two weeks. That's what they said. Two weeks, and everything would go back to normal. That was six months ago and life is anything but normal. A worldwide pandemic took our country by storm, and many schools were soon shut down. I remember the day before they announced the closing of schools. It was probably one of the most stressful points in my life. I sat there wishing there were more hours in the day for me to study for the three tests I had the next day and do the boatload of homework that was assigned to me that night. I was just about to give up when my parents got the call from school that we would be shut down for two weeks. It felt like coming up for a breath of fresh air. Online school gave me a break from all the stress real school put on me. Two weeks soon turned into a month, and a month turned into until summer. 

The end of summer came around and I was ready to go back. The pandemic was still a threat so we would only be going to school every other week in shifts. I felt like it was the perfect way to ease back into things after being off for so long. I was preparing for school, buying new clothes and masks, and comparing schedules with friends until the school notified the students we would be starting off the year virtually.

I now wake up at 7:40 am, still wearing the same clothes from the night before, and sit at the desk in the upstairs office of my house. This is my new school. The only hallways I know now are the ones in my house, and the only way I see my friends is on a little box on the computer screen in our online classes. Everything is so different, but at the same time my school life is still so much healthier. Whether or not my outfit looks good or if my skin is clear enough are no longer some of the many worries that were on my mind each morning before school. I'm getting more sleep than I ever was while in school, and I only have four classes a day so I'm not staying up until 3 am every night trying to get my homework done for eight classes. Yes I miss my friends, and yes I miss making those special friendships in class, but my mind and my body are so much healthier. 

Even though it was hard at times, I am very thankful for the life lessons I have learned and am still learning during this pandemic. I now know how important self care is, and I am eager to go back to school a new and improved person while finally be able to see my friends again.