From kids being full remote, coming in school two days a week, to coming back full time, Covid has affected the past two school years significantly. I was fully remote for almost a year before having to come back five days a week. It was a huge change for me and everything in my life.

Sleep Schedule 

My sleep schedule has not always been the best, but I’ve never seen it worse than from the change from remote school to in-person. Throughout my time being remote, I was always sleeping in late. There were some points I would not even get out of bed until 1pm. This was so bad for me, and waking up in the morning has never been harder since I came back to school. I took advantage of being remote and being able to sleep in. I wish, as a remote student, I had put myself on a better sleeping schedule and prepared myself for coming back to school. As for going to sleep, I have stopped staying up so late. I have allowed myself to go to bed when I need to, which has been good for my health and grades. I’m sure a lot of other students can relate to having struggles managing their sleep schedule to full-time learning.

Grades and Motivation

From being back in school, I have seen my grades go up greatly and felt my motivation become stronger. In my remote days, I had no motivation to get my work done. I would sit in bed and procrastinate till I could not anymore. All my assignments were being turned in late and I had no interest in getting them done. For example, I struggle with math. As a remote student, I put no effort in learning how to do the assignments which left me with no idea of what was going on. After being back in school for only a short period of time, my understanding of math has grown more than in the past year. I am now asking questions and putting in the effort to understand it.

Social Aspect

When I was remote, I still saw my close friends often. However, it was not the same as being in school. When you’re in school, it’s amazing how much your social life becomes more active. Personally, I did not mind it at first, but as the year went on, I began to miss the small talk with others or even just the passing “heys” in the hall. When I finally came back to school, it felt good to have those small conversations back. It did not just boost my social skills again but it put me in a better mood. 

As much as I have not enjoyed school in the past, I am ultimately happy to be back. My motivation has progressed greatly and only for the better. Don’t get me wrong, the break of being remote was very needed for me and it was a nice long vacation, but vacations always end. I am very grateful after all this time to be able to come back. I’m excited to go on with this school year and the next year to come, and I hope that things will continue to go back to normal in the future.