Being in the coronavirus pandemic is like being locked in a boring room without a clock because you never know when you can get out.  The Covid Pandemic was a hot topic, especially in Social Studies, during school. Despite this, no student or teacher could have envisioned the world that the unpopular virus in the U.S would eventuate into the world we live in today. 

March 11th was a half-day with a launchpad schedule at Middle School.  My teacher for launchpad was my math teacher Mrs. Buyer.  I don’t remember a single thing we did that school day but I do remember, just before we left school for the last time, my teacher said, “wouldn’t it be nice to have a two week vacation and come back with fresh minds to finish out the school year.”  Later that night I saw that Rudy Gobert had contracted the virus and that the NBA would be suspended until further notice.  Right before I went to bed my parents got the call from school that we wouldn’t be required to go in for the next day or the day after. These few cancellations were just the spark to the difficulties that would follow.  

I only realized the severity of the pandemic when my mom told me that my cousin and I couldn’t hang out because she wanted to see if Governor Baker would put lockdown measures in place.  When he announced that the state of Massachusetts would be in lockdown I was trapped at home and unable to see my friends.  This lockdown also meant that my sports would be cancelled as well as my season. The lockdown prevented us from going out and doing fun things together.  The cherry on the hellish cupcake was online schooling .

The biggest challenge for me was not being able to hang out with my friends.  Conversing on the phone while playing our Xbox games was exactly what we needed.  This was exciting for us and how I spent most of my quarantine.  I also got rollerblades and a bike.  This helped me to get exercise but it also allowed me to do something outside socially distanced with my friends.  Since my baseball season was canceled I practiced at home since all of the facilities and fields were closed.  I hit off of a tee into a net outside that me and my dad set up.  I played catch with my dad and threw into the net to practice my pitching.  The lockdown closed all fun places and shut down restaurants.  To counteract this me and my family would have dinner as a family every night and this allowed us to spend more time together.  

This would be the time where the boss music started and I prepared to face the final boss which is online schooling.  Focusing at home was extremely difficult since I had a phone and could play games or watch videos rather than focusing on classwork.  I managed to avoid distractions, for the most part, throughout the school year mainly because of the short breaks throughout the day.  Despite distractions, I managed to persevere and get good grades throughout the year.  

This pandemic taught me to be more grateful for what I have because you never know when it will be taken away.  When I finally got to see my friends in June we had so much fun because it was the first time we had been able to do things together in months.  It was like opening a present with the gift you wanted but 10 times better.  Everything we did was twice as fun because we were grateful for being able to see each other.  After practicing at home I learned the importance of practice and now I practice at home instead of just practice.  I have also become a better student as a result of the pandemic.  Adjusting back to in-person schooling made it a lot easier to learn and as a result, my grades have been improving.  Despite the troubles of the pandemic I have made it out a stronger person.