Meeting Mr.Rona

by:Rian Salinas

It’s definitely weird and hard to process that we are in a pandemic right now. You remember sitting in social studies talking about all of the deadly plagues and illnesses that affected everyone back in olden times, and here we are, finishing 2020, going into 2021 and with a not so little plague of our own. The levels of how intense this virus is only continues to grow, it started with getting out one day early for spring break, to having it extended to april 5th. It didn’t seem all that bad until they closed down schools for good and it’s like summer started months ahead of the planned time. I didn’t realize how much I liked school until I couldn’t go anymore. It’s hard to process that you didn’t get to say goodbye to friends nor the teachers that made freshman year so welcoming. My heart breaks for the teachers. They learn to make bonds with their students, and to not say bye nor get to do what they love hurts my heart for sure. All of the boys and girls who worked their butts off to try out and make the baseball, soccer, softball teams, Track, ect. Would definitely be frustrating considering they waited all year for their moment, but they barely got a few practices in, not one game. A Lot of the underclassmen could care less that school got out early, but what about the seniors? These are their last years, and it really got taken away in a snap. No prom, no graduation. Afterall… Social distancing makes everything much harder. Because the virus is a higher risk in elderly people, and kids tend to be carriers, I haven’t been able to see my grandma in months, she won’t let anyone come near her, it’s understandable. At first, I thought the virus was just kinda a joke and I took it heavily for granted. But knowing my brother and his friends were exposed to the virus, and his friend ended up passing, it kinda knocks you into a reality check and you realize just how serious this is (my brother is fine). As serious as it is, I’m still struggling with this whole quarantine thing. I used to be living off mac and cheese and feel definitely very educated on the art of driving and “right of ways” considering that a window to actually study for my drivers test just blew wide open. I have never enjoyed reading, but I finally found a series that had me reading 3 hours a day before my mom would make me stop so I can actually do other work. As much as I hate this virus, it has definitely shaped my learning for the better. A Lot of students would take the given learning opportunities for granted. In the beginning of covid, The grading process basically stated that your 3rd quarter grade freezes, but you can bring it up as long as it is not an A already. It’s all optional unless you are failing the class. I had all A’s and 2 B’s, which isn’t bad and it barely took anything to bring them up in general. I definitely don’t feel bad for the kids who are strugglings now.