Coronavirus Journal

Virtual or vital, school just isn’t the same

Edited by Osei Helper | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – It’s been about two months, two whole months since Livingston Manor Central School reopened. In the June edition of Manor Ink, we asked the paper’s student staff to write about their experiences after the school had closed down in April due to the coronavirus. Now that classes have resumed, we asked our staff to contribute additional journal entries. Hybrid or fully remote, our student journalists have some thoughts about this new unique schooling experience.

Friday, September 18

Luca Larizzati, Reporter: I’m going to school as a hybrid student. It’s not really any different now. People just have to wear masks and classes are much smaller. I guess I’ve just adapted to living with a deadly plague.

Nadine Osborne, Reporter: I’m going to a school in Brooklyn that is going to be operating fully remotely until mid-October. It’s a surreal experience sitting in front of a screen for 7-plus hours per day and calling that “school,” because it’s so drastically different than anything I’ve experienced previously. I seriously feel for the young kids who are just starting out; this hectic time is their entire introduction to education.

Emily Ball, Reporter: Instead of going back to school in person, I’ve been attending classes completely online. Personally, I find it enjoyable to be put on a schedule again and have a list of priorities. Attending school online also gives me more freedom to give attention to new hobbies that I have picked up these past few months.

Saturday, September 19

Osei Helper, Editor-in-Chief: The return to school completely online has been quite the experience. These video calls, with the teachers at odd angles and students with parents screaming in the background, have truly been the highlight of remote schooling. I’ll have to adjust my scheduling a bit to address the extra workload, but I actually quite like online schooling. Hip, hip, hooray.

Demi Budd, Associate Editor:  I’m another one of the students who has gone to school remotely. Not being in the “normal” school atmosphere is definitely odd. This is just another change I’ll adapt to sooner or later. Remote schooling overall isn’t bad, either, but I do miss seeing my friends and teachers. I’m looking forward to seeing how going to class every day goes, though, and I plan on trying to make the most of it! (And on the bright side, I can wake up later.)

Monday, September 21

Michelle Adams-Thomas, Reporter: I have been doing school completely remotely. I like being at home. It is more comfortable and the environment is more suitable. My homework is done in two hours, and then I am free to do other things. I am very happy with being home and I know I am safe.  However, it gets boring here sometimes.

Friday, October 16

Nadine Osborne, Reporter: I’m currently attending my first day of in-person school. Well, “in-person” is a relative term. We’re all wearing masks and sitting six feet apart from each other, and we’re not permitted to leave our classrooms for lunch unless we have written permission from our parents. It’s still pretty difficult to pay attention, and there is a sense of palpable discomfort emanating from everyone in the room. Y’know, maybe “school” is the relative term here instead.

Saturday, October 17

Michelle Adams-Thomas, Reporter: School seems to be the same, nothing much has changed. I seem to be getting used to being at home, which I think is bad because in a couple weeks, I will be going back to school for the first time this year.

Sunday, October 18

Tyler Roberts, Reporter: During these last seven months I experienced a time to focus on myself and mental well being. This has brought me to a place where I can harness my anxiety and learn the skills to help me do so. I have also developed a love for photography and writing. Although I am sick of the quarantine, I also feel grateful for the time that I had to focus on my family and explore my musical ability. 

Demi Budd, Associate Editor: Now that I’ve officially been doing remote schooling for a month, I can safely say the experience isn’t as terrible as I’d anticipated it would be. The first few weeks were definitely rough, but now it’s a bit easier since I’ve gotten used to the transition. I like the independence and freedom I’m given in terms of when I can do my work, and now I have the time to focus on other things as well.

Tuesday, October 20

Zachary Dertinger, Reporter: The coronavirus hit in March and for the last seven months I’ve been so stressed out, I didn’t even want to talk about it to anyone. I tried to project positivity around people, but in my heart I was sad, stressed and partly depressed. But I wasn’t  going to let anyone see me full of sadness, so from March until June, I tried to play video games after my homework was done. But my positivity starting to weaken in April. I finally let my sadness show and started talking to people after school. Fortunately, I was still able to run and have fun with my family. But this year, for me, has been the worst year of my life, and I hope this coronavirus ends soon.

Winter Sager, Reporter: For school this year, I chose to stay fully remote, as I was scared to return. The virus has caused a lot in my life to change. Having more time and a more free schedule has allowed me to join and engage in more things like Manor Ink and to have more time to talk to my friends. The virus has been hard on me and on my family’s mental health, but it has also allowed us to find new ways to cope – in my case, it has enabled me to slow down from the world.

Wednesday, October 21

Nicole Davis, Reporter: I have been attending school in-person for about a month now, and it has been pretty decent. I definitely feel safe with all the precautions the school has taken, but it has been tough coping with all of the changes. I have appreciated the valid requirement of mask wearing, but I have been looking forward to my senior year for years, and it has been very different from what I expected. The workload this year has been a little extreme, but it’s alright because there are no more after-school activities, so I have had more time to pick up other hobbies to occupy myself. I do miss playing sports with my friends, especially since it will be my last year in high school, but it makes sense to cancel athletics. Senior year has been tolerable in-person, but I really hope the pandemic ends soon so life can go back to normal.

Thursday, October 22

Osei Helper, Editor-n-Chief: I feel like I’ve adjusted to the scheduling. I’ve been getting more work in on time, but procrastination still seems to plague me. I do enjoy having more time to do other things, since I’m not always in class. I’ve been told that the increased responsibility is good for preparing me for college. I really have to nail down the discipline to work when I need to and not work before (or sometimes during) class. I plan on eliminating the issue of procrastination soon – once I get around to it!