Going back to school with significant changes to it after not being there for four months has definitely been weird. Fewer students in the classes and teachers balancing online and in-person teaching is an odd experience to witness and experience.

In my opinion, I don’t think kids being at home and at school at the same time is a very efficient and safe way of doing things. So far, in most classes, while you’re physically in class, you’re still doing the same thing you would be doing at home, and for a lot of kids, it doesn’t seem worth the time of actually going if it’s all the same. I understand it may take a while for everyone to adjust, but doing the same things in person we were doing from home isn’t helping get 2.0 off to a rousing beginning.

One annoying thing about actually going to school the requirement to keep a mask on for about 5 hours of the day, but I’m sure that’ll be something we’ll all get used to eventually.

Being out of class and trying to socialize is also something that many kids need to get used to. Most of us have all been in “quarantine” for many months, and it seems to make socialization more difficult than before. Working in groups in a class is challenging because of the need to stay apart and keep masks on, making it hard to hear students in the classroom. Because we must follow the arrows around campus, I’ve been trying to set a route for my classes, so I follow the signs correctly and not go the wrong way and get yelled at. The transition from being at home for months to gradually coming back put into the world has honestly been difficult. Still, I know everyone in the district and the school are trying their hardest to make us all feel as safe and comfortable as possible.

On the positive side, having fewer people on campus makes the school seem less chaotic than usual, which is nice. But at the same time have ten or even fewer kids in class beside you is a little awkward. Having the teacher talking to the students, both in the actual class and online, seems to leave an awkward silence in the room.

It can be a little challenging to feel safe from the virus, but it does help with the uneasiness with all the precautions taken. In my opinion, I don’t think we should be going back just yet only because of the upcoming cold season, but for now, we all just have to go with the flow and take it day by day until it is entirely safe for us all to be together again and live more normal lives.