54 High School and Quaran-things, my Reflection on Covid-19

I have a hard time remembering when exactly we were in complete lockdown, it all seems like a blur. I know from March 2020 until the end of June we were definitely locked in pretty tight. I had no sports, no school, no work, didn’t see my friends, and my beautiful mother was scrubbing down the groceries before anyone was allowed to touch them. My parents already worked mostly from home, so this did not change much. We weren’t in such an intense lockdown that our daily walks were monitored or anything, people still were out and about outside, but indoor activities other than grocery shopping were pretty much nowhere to be found (except in our own homes). I remember this time felt very odd; I felt like the days just passed but I wasn’t bored. I know for a fact that I spent way too much time rotting on my phone, and probably averaged 8 hours a day on TikTok learning useless dances. I remember during the summer of 2020 things started lightening up. I saw more of my friends, we would go for bike rides and hikes and spent a lot of time outside. I remember this summer feeling a little bit normal, other than the restrictions that were still in place like distancing, masking and capacity limits.

By the time September rolled around, we were back to school in masks and with these awful new quadmesters. Quadmesters were only two classes a day, one for the first half of the day and another for the second half of the day. We would have this for two and a half months and then a new “quad” would begin. Throughout the rest of my grade eleven year there were some blips of lockdown which resulted in online school. I didn’t mind so much the Zoom lessons, it meant I could stay in bed, but that’s coming from a lazy teen. Overall, the virtual learning environment was not terrible, but that was because I never stopped trying and applying myself. I still did all my work and asked my teachers questions, because I knew I wanted to go to university and did not want to be behind in classes like calculus, biology, or chemistry. I do remember that a lot of content had to be cut with this quadmester system because it was overwhelming for teachers and students with the increased content each day. I knew students who struggled when we returned to in-person classes and students around me who fell behind over the lockdowns because they simply chose not to do their work.

I think for the most part the virtual schooling had more of a negative effect on elementary-aged kids because a teacher cannot teach through a screen to young kids who will not pay attention. This meant their parents had to be the ones to put in the most work to have their children engaged and actively learning. I have spoken to elementary school teachers who have said that since the lockdowns children are behind in math and reading. I think in a lot of ways Covid was the hardest on these younger kids who need school for developmental skills not only academically but also socially for their lifelong skillsets. I do think that having my phone to socialize with my friends made these aspects of social connection much easier.

By my grade twelve year, things were pretty normal. Covid had not disappeared, but we were nearing the end (this was September 2021). Thank goodness I had a pretty normal grade twelve year with normal semesters. I had the senior dances and celebrations including prom! The class of 22’ was the first class since Covid to have a prom, which we were so grateful for. I know the classes of 2020 and 2021 still are hurt that they missed their senior year culture and traditions.

The Covid-19 pandemic and my experiences connected in many ways to the themes of this course. One that sticks out to me the most is the similarity I have seen with the panic and fear that we examined in topics like the Black Death, Ebola, and HIV/AIDS. When examining the Black Death we saw fear and panic through fleeing (those who could), a lot of prayer, especially to specific Saints as well as uncertainty that manifested into blame towards certain religious groups or sinners. When examining Ebola we saw how rural villagers exhibited panic and fear towards healthcare workers in areas of outbreak. Lastly, with HIV/AIDS, we saw how panic and fear also manifested into blame, and then scrutiny with marginalized groups being ostracized. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I saw fear and panic in more of a comical way, at least it is comical now, and that was with the toilet paper shortage in 2020. During the initial lockdown, much of the world was confused and concerned, this led to stocking up on essential items, and clearing the shelves of toilet paper. I remember this being such an odd thing at the time. It was in the news and everyone was talking about it, worried somehow we would run out. It ultimately comes down to the fact that fear and panic make people do crazy things in a crisis like a pandemic, even if that means getting a year’s supply of toilet paper at the store just because everyone else is doing it.

Covid was truly a crazy time. I cannot believe it has already been five years and I get to reflect on it like this. In the moment it did not feel as important of a time as I believe it to be now. I know it will be remembered and studied for years or centuries to come.