My baby sister runs for the dog food. The dogs are running around, chasing each other. 

I try to concentrate on my timed AP US History test. My mom yells across the kitchen as I slowly put in my airpods in an attempt to focus.

I had no problem with in-school learning. Just like every other kid, I didn’t want to go back to waking up earlier, but I like the social aspect of being in school. However, after working online in some form since March of 2020, I have learned to adjust to the routine. Being online allows me to set my own pace for doing work and I feel that I am more independent with the work I am provided, unlike in person where you are constantly being monitored and have assistance.

My one teacher goes above and beyond to make sure we are doing okay during this pandemic. He gives us a decent amount of work and is constantly checking in on us to make sure it is not too much. He keeps up with grades very well and I can rely on him to answer a question pretty fast if I email him.

However, not all teachers are like him. I have experienced teachers who don’t seem to care if students are struggling online. For example, if a student is having a hard time keeping up with the work the teachers don’t put into consideration if the student is going through stuff at home. Personally, with a full house of siblings and activity, being able to concentrate is very hard. I know from friends telling me that some teachers don’t care about what students are dealing with at home and it is hard for me to understand.

I believe if everyone put just a little more effort into everything going on (teachers AND students) everything would run smoothly and we could figure out a better way to handle this situation. Changing the schedule every two weeks isn’t good for high school students. We need a routine. We need consistency. So for the teachers who have been going above and beyond to make sure we get that, thank you.

My hope for the second semester is that we stay home and don’t go back. I love seeing my friends, but it is so hard to get to school in the winter and switching from online to in-person makes it really difficult to adjust. When we go back to school full time we will be back for less than a month then we will be shut down again. So, we better make this time in person count!