By Galia Shkedi ‘23
One year of quarantine. One year of seeing friends and family through a screen or with a mask 6 feet apart. One year since we've walked through the halls of our school. It seems unbelievable, preposterous even, that our entire lives have been turned upside down. If you had told anyone a year and a half ago that there would be a deadly virus and we would all be stuck at home, they would laugh. It's quite saddening to think about, but the truth remains; we've spent an entire year in which our normal has been gone, and a new normal has begun - a normal of masks, social distancing, and wariness of every slight cough or person on the street.
March 13 was the last day of school. I spent it at home, like many others, wary of this new "coronavirus" that seemed to have finally reached New York. As the whole of the public school system awaited the news anxiously, we finally got the message that school would be closed for at least a few weeks.
The first week of "corona-cation," as I had dubbed it, felt quite odd. It seemed like a blur, just doing nothing. We had no homework and no classes, but also no in-person access to our friends. Although I began the week excited for a well-deserved break, by the end of it, I had become racked with worry for what comes next.
There is no knowing yet what the mental and physical tolls of quarantine will have on us all, regardless of the sickness itself. It's created an unprecedented situation that has been lasting far longer than any of us expected. People have lost their jobs, homes, and loved ones, with over 120 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and over 2.6 million deaths. Dealing with the pressure of the pandemic combined with remote learning has generated a frustrating situation for students and teachers alike.
The news of lockdown was difficult for everyone to handle.
"For me, 2020 was shaping up to be a fantastic year", said Renelle Mark '22. "Then when COVID hit, everything had just shut down, and my world went from one extreme to the next. In a way, it was like I had a sense of separation anxiety, but instead of a specific person or place, it was my generally out-going life, and it felt like internal torture." The changes that the pandemic caused have been extremely painful. Some people's initial reaction to lockdown was a relief, while others were already stressed.
Ms. Gordon, the 9th grade English teacher, recalled, "Initially, I was just puzzled and in denial. I thought, 'there's no way we can do this for the rest of the year--we'll go back soon!' As time went on, my denial turned into resignation and frustration. Teaching asynchronously online was nothing like teaching in the classroom, and I knew that students were struggling with feelings of disconnection -- as was I."
Ms. Gordon was not alone in her frustration; most of us quickly got sick and fed up with being at home all day, with our only interactions being with family. Freya Braiker '23 had a slightly different experience, mentioning, "having a sibling has helped my lockdown experience, and I have someone to talk to. I think our relationship has strengthened because of this pandemic, and, honestly, I think my relationship with my friends has been strengthened, too. They really made the lockdown more bearable." Relying on family and friends became more important than we could ever imagine in a period of such isolation. However, this didn't change the fact that the draining effect of quarantine has put immense pressure on our relationships.
Chloe Shiffman '22 commented that if she could tell her past self in March anything, it would be, "Quarantine is going to change you and the familial relationships you have A LOT. Some of those damages might feel irreparable, but understand that your family is going to love you no matter what. Everyone is going through the impossible right now, and the way all of us are acting isn't really the people we are. Things are going to be alright, and that time will not define any of us."
It's been crucial to have a support system or a friend to turn to during these times. Not only is there a lockdown and COVID, which is enough to drive anyone crazy, there have also been a lot of important world events during this past year. As Gregory Roitburd '22 put it, "Quarantine life was very dramatic. I don't mean dramatic at home or online, as those things were relatively bland; I am specifically referring to the events that occurred every week. Every day I would wake up in a new apocalypse scenario somehow worse than the last one. It was very interesting but very scary all at the same time." There has been so much hatred, apocalyptic, insane events that have been impossible to ignore. Sometimes it feels as though we're living in a sci-fi movie, except instead of ending after 2 hours, it became a tv series. Despite all this, some good has happened, such as the Black Lives Matter platform being given more attention and recognition to work towards necessary changes.
For a lot of us, some of our favorite activities are no longer available. Mr. Mcgorry, the upper grades music teacher, reflected, "I was used to playing with other musicians, at least a couple of times a week, in rehearsals and on gigs. That stopped completely when we went to lockdown. But, I did some things to make the most out of it. For example, I formed a saxophone quintet with members of a big band I played in before the lockdown. We meet weekly on Zoom and have recorded about 6 different arrangements of music using an online music production program". As annoying as it may be that going to the movies or a concert with friends is no longer an option, there are still alternatives, like Mr. Mcgorry playing with his band online or using Netflix Party to watch a movie with friends.
Of course, one of the biggest changes that have occurred from the pandemic is remote learning. It has been a struggle for most students, and teachers as well. Our school hours have been cut short, we don't get to see our friends and teachers in our classes, and there are loads of homework. For Janna Galligan '23, "Remote learning is a struggle. Not many teachers take into consideration what it is like to be doing twice the amount of work with half the amount of support we got from in-person learning." Many students are frustrated with the workload, spending hours stressing over work when we're already in an extremely stressful situation.
New students and teachers have it particularly hard, not even having met their colleagues face-to-face. Ms. Utting, the new 10th grade English teacher, remarked that there have been both ups and downs to remote learning so far, stating, "Of course there are perks to working from home, but I chose education as a profession BECAUSE I enjoy the face time with students and other people. If I wanted a job where I look at a computer screen all day, I would have chosen a different profession! I do like the flexibility that remote learning offers, but I'm also excited to get back in the building. The year has been particularly tough because it's my first year teaching at NEST+m, and I haven't even met most of my colleagues in person yet!" Seeing people, whether it's your best friends or classmates, is a big part of school. Humans are social creatures, and the decrease in social interaction has been difficult for us all.
Some students actually prefer online learning, focusing on the benefits. Ruby Kiesewalter '23 commented, "As much as I miss regular school, I can't even begin to imagine waking up at 6 am every day again. I very much enjoy being able to wake up 20 minutes before class. That being said, I do really like asynchronous learning because it makes me feel more productive in a way!". It's great to focus on the positives of quarantine, even if there are few.
Personally, I've found remote learning to be a bit difficult, especially having to focus on my computer all day when I'd much rather go do something else. Emmi Chen '23 has good advice for helping you stay productive. "Set a schedule for yourself. Especially now, I try to get into a routine to make sure everything that needs to get done is done and that I still have time to relax at home without feeling like I have to do work all the time. I also think a good piece of advice would have been to explore more creative activities to do, especially during the beginning of the pandemic and the summer months. I'm finding now that I have so many things I want to do or create, but I have much less time than I used to". A routine to help stay on track can be incredibly helpful, and so is doing fun activities to keep us sane.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult, but as long as we all keep on staying safe (and sane), we'll be back to reality before we know it.
Promotion: If you’re interested in hearing Mr. Mcgorry and his band play online check out the video they made over the summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkKfuT51A7U&ab_channel=HeardImmunityHorns
Comments