QuaranTEENing: School Before & After COVID-19

As everyone knows, schools all around the world have had to change their ways of teaching. Technology has been a saving grace in this weird time! We still have Google Classroom, Edmentum, and Google Meets to submit assignments and communicate with our teachers and classmates. Of course, it’s not the same. Not even close, actually. 

School before all of this went down was stressful, but fun. We were preparing for our writing SOLs, which we had right before school closed down for the rest of the year, and reviewing content for our other subject SOLs. We were looking forward to the upcoming spring break and exclusive 8th grade activities coming soon. We had just had our 8th grade winter-formal dance, which was one of the best nights of our teen lives! I’m so glad that we could have that last fun time all together before we had to say goodbye till the next school year. The news of the Coronavirus was up in the air, but we had no idea that it would end the year in a matter of just a few days. March 11th was our last day of real school for a while, and no one knew it until the next morning.

As an 8th grader, this time is disappointing for me. I’m going to be in high school next year, and I can’t experience my last day of 8th grade hugging teachers, signing yearbooks, cleaning out lockers, and even bawling with my friends. I’ve been looking forward to the last day of 8th grade for a few years, but now it’s not going to happen. :’( Online school could be way worse, but it’s still overwhelming and complicated. It’s not even comparable to being a real student at a real school. I can’t see my friends, talk with my teachers, and learn in a classroom environment. 

Despite all the weirdness and uncertainty happening in our nation right now, I’m grateful to have good health, food, a home, and technology during this time. It’s hard to keep your head up right now, I know. I sometimes overthink all of this, which doesn’t do any good for me. Find something that you are looking forward to in the near future. This will all be over soon. We just need to be patient and social distance so that we can go back to normalcy. Thank you for reading this post! It’s not the brightest post of mine, but I know it’s relatable to a lot of people. Just know that you’re not alone at this time! Everyone is confused, worried, sad, and unmotivated. Comment down below how you feel during this pandemic. As always, keep it cool and comment your blog URL, too! 

 

-Anna Claire

All About Anna Claire (Pt. 2)

Hey guys! Long time, no see. I am currently stuck in my house with my family, just like everyone else. I’ve been keeping busy by writing and completing assignments, watching Netflix, scrolling through Tik Tok, playing Game Pigeon with friends, and running outside. Times are weird right now, but I’m trying to get the best of it. Last year I made a static All About Me page on my blog. I liked how the page was formatted like a listicle and was very descriptive. Still, I want something with a little more pizazz. I figured that I would keep both of them up, but post an All About Me poem alongside the listicle. Here is part two of my All About Me!

Anna Claire

A 14-year-old trying to figure everything out.

A lover of family, school, writing, and running.

An ambivert who enjoys both socializing with friends, but also having time to herself.

An adventure seeker and future world traveller.

Has hopes of living in New York City someday.

Sometimes a perfectionist and always a hard worker.

Keeps Khalid’s “American Teen” album on repeat.

Nicknamed “AC”, or even “Air Conditioning”, as a joke from her friends.

Looks forward to high school football games and joining Cross Country.

A teen who is excited to live her life and make her dreams come true.

Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope everyone is staying safe and quarantined in their houses. Remember to wash your hands frequently and social distance! FaceTime and call your friends and family to check on them. Remember to keep it cool and comment with your blog URL! 

Anna Claire