Returning to school isn’t easy, especially when you’re in the middle of a global pandemic. Students both online and in person understand this greatly, but how would one feel transitioning from one to another? This is a harsh reality for students being quarantined at home for two weeks.
The reasoning behind students being sent home for two weeks is due to being in close contact with someone who has fallen sick with COVID-19. In the time period a student is sent home, they are to quarantine as normal and stay inside. Then, after the two week quarantine, the student is able to return to in person instruction.
Timber Creek junior Ada Yong experienced online instruction recently while in quarantine. Typically, students are sent home pretty abruptly, so the switch in modes of instruction is pretty fast.
“I reached out as soon as I got home,” Yong said.
The switch in instructions didn’t phase her. Yong was able to adapt relatively quickly. With the switch, it provided a break from being physically at school.
“To switch over wasn’t too bad, it was actually quite relaxing just getting work done when I wanted to, I didn’t feel as if I was in a rush for anything,” Yong said. “Teachers were also super understanding, they gave out additional information as if you were a remote student.”
Many of the ways online teachers chose to instruct were easy for some first time online kids to pick up.
“Most of my classes are on Canvas and Google Classroom so all the information was there so I can learn on my own,” Yong said.
As students transition from their temporary online venture, nerves from the first day of school seem to return. “I remember the night before I went back I was thinking to myself how much I didn’t want to come back to school,” Yong explained.
In the case of the junior, seeing both modes of instruction made her question her initial decision to go in person.
“Everything was back to normal, and in this case, I didn’t like the normal,” Yong said. “… I still do miss my friends, but for the sake of safety and my education, transferring over to remote was the best decision.” As soon as she was done with her temporary stint in online, she decided to switch back during the next marking period.