As we return to school in the month of January, many of us are excited to reunite with friends, have the ability to connect with administrators in a face-to-face environment and finally get back into that school spirit we’ve been missing for 10 months. While it may be great to re-enter traditional schooling in an abnormal way, the only thing I can think of is, is this truly a good idea?

Personally, I’ve enjoyed online schooling since its conception in late March. I have never in life experienced the opportunity to pursue education whilst still having an absurd amount of time left for things that I wanted to do. On the other hand, having this truly once in a lifetime opportunity has shown me that being present in classrooms is much more enjoyable than sitting at home all day. Despite preferences, it all boils down to a common denominator– COVID-19.

This virus is quite literally controlling everything in the world from dining out to graduating, and it’s controlling the progression of our return. The hybrid schedule is taking some getting used to, with the order of the hours being in reverse and the everchanging first bell.

In the meantime, I believe that hybrid is a great thing because we are being given that exposure to teachers and our peers. The atmosphere of the school is something I love and it’s nice to have a reason to get ready every morning. Being able to build relationships with teachers is also another thing that is extremely important. I found that while staring at a computer screen everything was so superficial and lacked the sense of community
I’ve felt at South for the past four years. I genuinely believe that with all of the protocols we are taking in order to keep our school running safely, we’ll all benefit. I’m glad to see us all together again.