Mask? Never Looked So Good by Alicia Gaines

So here’s the thing. 

Social distancing?

Done. Easily.

Mask?

Never looked so good.

Online schooling?

Should have considered it earlier, really.

Staring at a screen for sixty-five minutes straight?

I’m fine. Really.

The prolonged closure of schools, for the first time in decades, has certainly changed some things.

Not only school closure, but the included migration of schooling to screens, has left lots to be said about the new school year; good and bad alike.

Let’s start with the obvious: screens. 

Thoughts?

Screens, as decent as they’ve been at replacing traditional classrooms during quarantine, are just as impressive as they are imperfect. 

I’ve noticed that screens tend to be problematic at times. The wide world of the internet is captivating and equally distracting. Very distracting. Another thing to grind the collective gears of the nation: connection issues. Screens are, at best, finicky. At worst, they become totally useless in a matter of minutes. Not fun to panic over lost class time. Nothing much can be done about that particular issue, unlike others.

Also, being social during the new school year looks a lot different than it did a few months ago. No more hallways, time between classes, or brief minutes spent trying to finish a conversation before the bell. Lunch, of course, is gone as well. In the place of absent classroom conversations, breakout rooms and group work seems to have become popular with the teachers. Not that they have anywhere near the same effect.

Classes are longer and harder to sit through, with more information and outside work. Lectures are harder to focus on. The unfortunate dilemma of both too much and too little time. Some work is done in class, but with the implementation of the rotating AB schedule, there’s been much more homework to keep busy.

Not to mention teachers. Because as much as students are having a hard time, teachers might arguably have it worse. Trying to teach classes of twenty-plus students, and cram two classes worth of information into an extended hour-long class just doesn’t cut it sometimes, as students and teachers alike are finding out.

Now, I’m not trying to make this sound too vent-ish, so look on the bright side: I can confidently say that mornings are way better than last year. They don’t have bus time factoring in to wake up time, and there’s no rush to get ready in time. 

On the early morning not, days are shorter, and lunchtime is much longer. More time to be productive, or take a much-needed break. 

Also, snack breaks and bathroom breaks have never been so easy.

So yeah, this change has come with its unique set of challenges; all changes do. The best thing to do now is look on the bright side and work through it to come out on the other side as best we can.