My Thoughts About Being Back in School Saanvi Kunisetty

 My Thoughts About Being Back in School

Saanvi Kunisetty

I’ve been back in school for a while now, and it’s been great in some ways, but worrisome in others. As far as what I’ve enjoyed, I think it’s pretty obvious. It’s a significant improvement in terms of interacting with all my friends and peers, as well as teachers. I actually get to see and talk to a variety of people, instead of texting the same three friends on a daily basis. It allows for more social interaction and confidence overall, something that I’ve been significantly lacking. The downside to this is that, in some ways, I don’t interact with my friends as often. Everyone is in different locations in the building in different classes at different times, and sometimes, it’s very unlikely that I’ll happen to see them during the day. Virtually, I could just text or facetime them whenever, and that was that. Additionally, something that is much better in person is science class. This year I’m taking chemistry, and my teacher is huge on labs. To be honest, I’m not sure what our class would’ve been like had it been virtual. Luckily, since it’s in person, we get to experience all the lab work and techniques that we’ve been missing out on. It is still a bit of a struggle, though, because a lot of this we were supposed to have learnt before, but never did virtually, so it’s been tough easing into. Another huge improvement has been orchestra. For the first time in a long time, I get to actually play with people around me, as an orchestra. Last year, it was a lot of individual playing over zoom, where the teacher never even heard you live once during the entire year. This year, we can make music with others by our side, which is what orchestra is all about. One of the major concerns I have, though, is the safety of everyone in general. Probably the most concerning thing is lunch, when everyone sits together and eats without any form of social distancing, coverage, or protection. But it’s understandable that there isn’t much else that the school can do about it, except just continue doing what we are doing right now. Overall, I’m happy about my in school experience, and I’m glad to be back in the building with everyone else.