Editorial

The Student Voice Staff

Change. we’re all familiar with it, yet we don’t really know how to come to terms with it. Whether you’re moving houses or schools, someone changes their looks or personality, or major milestones are endured, it would be hard to get used to. During these tough times, school has changed drastically. Classwork is different, grading is different, and most of all, our schedule is different.

When we first started school, we stuck to an A/B schedule. Personally, it was a little weird at first, but we managed to get used to it. Out of nowhere, the announcing of the school’s reopening and the hybrid schedule changed everything. Students who chose to stay remote didn’t have to wake up early for their classes. This was one of the best things about it. We were finally able to catch up on sleep, or missing assignments. However, you would have two classes in the afternoon. This also wasn’t a big deal. But once I noticed that I got work from every single class every single day, I was over it. I didn’t understand how or why the school expects us to have massive loads of work done by 8 p.m. It was just impossible.

As soon as the school reopened, it already had to be closed. Yep, this meant ANOTHER schedule change. This time, we had a half day schedule with every class. We were already overwhelmed with keeping up; why keep changing the schedule when it was fine the first time? We were all on the same boat. And to no one’s surprise, this schedule didn’t last either. We finally returned to the A/B schedule, which was fine. However, the school decided to make the afternoon tutorials mandatory. Some students do not understand these things, therefore they do not even participate in it. We are fed up with it. Some of us usually take the afternoons to take a break or a nap. The fact that we have to wait another hour and a half to spend two hours in class AGAIN is just dumb. I truly don’t understand it. Why do we need to go to class in the afternoon if we don’t need help? 

There are so many unanswered questions that all of the students have. Some examples that don’t include the schedule, are what is happening with the SAT’s and other state tests? Why aren’t we given more time to mentally prepare ourselves for CRA’s or CMA’s? What about the clubs and sports? What about the shows and concerts? Then the famous question of them all, when will we finally go back? These are the questions that aren’t getting answered. Why aren’t they getting answered you ask? It’s because nobody knows. It’s easy to blame the school for everything, our stress or our lack of sleep; but this is a whole new way of living that ALL OF US, not only students, have to get used to. 

As for the workload, work has just been piling up! There is no energy left to complete any of it. Everyday feels the same. We wake up, join the zooms, eat and sleep. Some even procrastinate most of their assignments hoping they don’t fail them. While others try their best in some classes and fall behind in others. Nothing is the same anymore. School isn’t the same. Teaching isn’t the same. Learning isn’t the same. None of us are even the same. 

We have to remind ourselves that the real enemy is COVID-19. It has become the root of all our school troubles and cancelled events. It is the reason we don’t have clarity or explanations. It is the reason that nobody has them. 

Unfortunately, we have to continue this way for however long our safety is being compromised. The world around us is crumbling right before our eyes and the beginning of COVID-19 was just the calm before the storm.