We all remember 2019-2021. Right now, as you are reading this you are probably rolling your eyes and wanting me to stop talking about it. I get that; it’s kind of hard to forget. There were a lot of positive things that happened, but also some very negative things. For example, we were all stuck at home all the time. We couldn’t go anywhere without wearing a mask, getting tested for the virus, and having it come back negative. But one of the advantages of that was I could be in bed way longer in the morning because I didn’t have to catch the bus. I still had to hurry in the morning, but not as much. 

For starters, it was challenging for many children to get schoolwork done because most kids, like me, work way better when we are face-to-face. Having Email and Zoom was great, but the days went much smoother for me when I got to be back in the school building. Even though we had to wear masks and be distanced apart, we were still able to get one-on-one help from paras or teachers. But there were also many days during distance learning when I thought that I wasn’t going to make it. I cried at least once per day, I was way quieter than I usually am. One day I was having a Zoom call with my best friend Paige. I was having a rough day. After I had told her everything, she told me “I wish I could reach through the screen and give you a hug.” 

One of the most annoying things about distance learning was that I was required to have my video on. Now, it’s not like I don’t like my face or anything, like some of the people in my grade. It’s just that because I had my camera on, my little siblings, specifically my 8-year-old brother (I think he was about 6 when the first lockdown started) would take that as an opportunity to be silly in my background. Even if I was on mute, it was embarrassing. 

Luckily, when my mom and dad noticed it, they decided to move me into my room. In the beginning, I was at the dining room table. Since I was in class with many other kids, they had that happen to them a few times as well. (Having their siblings or parents get in the camera.) 

I do share a room with my little sister, but she is old enough to respect me when I am in a meeting. My little brother doesn’t care. He loves to show off. I love all of my siblings very much. But sometimes they can get on my nerves. Especially when I am stuck with all 5 of them for several months. On the other hand, I would much rather have siblings than be an only child, because then I have people to play with or talk to. I would figure it out if I was an only child, but still. Anyway, it wasn’t all bad. We were able to figure out how to meet with each other even if it was not in person. I didn’t even know that Zoom was a thing before Covid. During the lockdown, it was the only thing I used.

My dad and I usually worked on my math homework together after school, but I had to wait for him to be done with work. I still did it during distance learning, but I didn’t have to wait as long because he was already home. He doesn’t have to drive a half-hour to get there anymore. He has always wanted to work from home, but he didn’t have a choice before the pandemic happened. Now, he only goes into the office if they need him to be there. Because of the job he has he doesn’t need to be in-person to do it. That wasn’t the case for some people. Lots of people lost their jobs and had to find new ones because they were not able to work online. There were 4.2 million fewer jobs in October 2021 than in February 2020. I know a lot of kids in my grade who changed schools this year and last year. I have made a lot of new friends because of that, and I still have some friends that didn’t leave.