What it’s Like Being Back in Person

Lowrie Martin

I have been back at school for the past two weeks since teacher’s kids were allowed back when the Freshmen were. This school year experience in person is almost completely different compared to last year. 

Before you even enter the school, you have to submit a “wellness screening” to make sure that you don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19 and have to get your temperature checked as soon as you walk in the door. Pre Corona, everyone just filed in and no one really cared if you were feeling ill unless you went to the nurse about it.

When walking the halls, there are signs on the floor showing where you can go and how far apart everyone has to be. Some hallways, like where Mrs Eddy’s or Mr Blaha’s rooms are, are one way so you have to go up another hallway just to get to that one place. To make sure everyone stays apart and abides by these rules, teachers are stationed outside their classrooms and administrators are everywhere reminding us what to do. At first, it was slightly annoying having to go around and not just go directly to where I need to go but after a week, I’m used to it.

The first week I was back, there was no one except me and my teacher in my classroom since I am a Junior and taking advanced classes this year. I rarely ever saw anyone in the halls or bumped into anyone else. I enjoyed being the only one because it allowed me to ask questions or talk to my teachers one on one. On synchronous days, I’d be there behind the plastic partitions on my laptop just doing my work. But on asynchronous days, I did my work for that day and then just talked to my teachers. 

This week I have had a few other people in my classes but still not that many. In class, everyone is stationed six feet apart, behind our partitions, and on our zoom or google meets calls. Everyone is wearing their masks and taking correct precocious to help stop the spread of the virus. Towards the end of class, teachers go around to where we were working and spray everything down with disinfectant while use paper towels and wipe everything down. 

During lunch, Freshmen and Sophomores eat in one area while Juniors and Seniors eat in the other area they have set up. I don’t eat my lunch in the cafeteria since I eat in my mom’s room so that is about as much information as I have on that. 

Overall, we have done a great job so far in keeping everyone safe and protected from the virus and I do not regret choosing to come back to school in person full time.