COVID-19 has affected many students’ social lives, as well as their grade. The pandemic has been a global crisis for over a year and has impacted everyone from small businesses to healthcare workers. However, it has especially taken a toll on teens, many of which are students.
“I can’t see all my friends at school, and it makes me sad that I cannot socialize as easily with them,” freshman Raymie Jones said.
Students’ personal lives are also being altered. Some have been separated from their families and have not been able to see them due to restrictions.
“I haven’t seen my dad in a year because of COVID-19,” freshman Jenna Sampaio said. “He lives in California, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to see him next.”
The switch to online school early last year has been damaging for students. Similar to many, Sampaio is still recovering from this period in her studies.
“It’s also affected my grades because when we first had to quarantine, we had to do [school] online,” Sampaio said. “I did not do online school at all, so you know my grades dropped from that, and I’m still being affected by that.”
Many students expressed their difficulties with navigating online school on their own, along with the constant pressure from the outside world.
“I felt like everything was very confusing,” Jones said. “It was hard to ask [the teachers] questions when we didn’t have Zoom [calls], because it was hard to email and contact them. I was at my worst during online school because I didn’t do any work and did not have any social interactions.”
However, COVID-19 does not only have afflicting effects, as some outcomes are positive. With all the time in quarantine early last year and the extra time from cancelled sports and extracurriculars, many students have had the chance to grow and develop on a personal level.
“I improved as a person and found out who I am when I don’t care what other people think,” freshman Sophie Scherer said. “I discovered who I was especially as a young adult growing and changing in different ways. I’m just trying to find who I am in this world and what I want to do with myself.”
