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STUDENTS EAGER TO RETURN TO SCHOOL WITH VACCINATED CLASSMATES
VACCINATIONS LEADING TO A HOPE FOR NORMALCY
ZOOM fatigue…
LACK of social interaction…
BREAKOUT rooms…
CONSTANT internet issues…
As a high school student during the global COVID-19 pandemic, it was definitely an experience, beginning in March last year when schools instantly shut down.
At first, we were only having Zoom calls about once or twice a week and under the impression that life would go back to normal soon after. However, that was clearly not the case.
When school began again in the Fall, communication was rocky between students and teachers. It was a lot more intimidating to unmute and ask questions in the middle of a Zoom call rather than going up to the teacher to ask for help in person. Distractions were always present, and students may not have had the quietest home circumstances.
Many of us faced a lack of motivation due to minimal social interaction and Zoom fatigue. Most of the time, we would just be sitting in one area with our computers for extended periods of time. It became monotonous and tedious. I found it helpful to take frequent breaks and get up and walk around between each class or go outside in the fresh air.
A lot of students enjoy in-person school because we talk to people face-to-face every day. Zoom made it very difficult to experience peer-to-peer interaction in the classroom setting.
Taking classes on Zoom was definitely not how I envisioned my senior year to go, but it is what it is. Writing college applications during this time meant we mostly had to navigate everything alone. There were missed dances, sporting events, and pep rallies.
Experiencing our last day of high school by saying goodbye to a class with everyone’s cameras off also felt incomplete.
Navya graduated from Piedmont Hills High School this past year and ready to start her Freshman year at UC Davis fully vaccinated
I am thankful we had a graduation and other end-of-the-year senior events that made life feel slightly more conventional and normal than it was just months earlier.
In a way, the worldwide pandemic brought us closer together. I was able to appreciate the value of relationships with others a lot more.
With school starting again soon, there are a lot of things I have in mind.
I will be going to college at UC Davis this Fall. Life is definitely going to change for me, after being in my bubble for so long. Leaving friends and family, living in a dormitory, and navigating life away from home for the first time will be something completely out of my comfort zone.
I am looking forward to a somewhat more “normal” school year than I experienced in the past year, but I also have some concerns.
I have to get used to in-person learning again, and classes are going to be more fast-paced in than in high school. I am also worried that teachers will be a lot less lenient now. Constantly being surrounded by a lot of people in large lecture halls that hold hundreds of students also a cause for worry, even with a mask mandate.
Despite all my concerns, I am excited to experience something different as opposed to the constant monotony I have been in for the past year and a half. And I definitely feel a lot more safe and confident attending class because I am vaccinated.
This summer, working with the City of San José has been a great experience. I had the opportunity to attend meetings and work with many different people on various different projects.
I have worked behind-the-scenes on the City of SJ website, attended vaccination events, developed a video on COVID-19 and its impact on small businesses, and many more things.
What I have learned and observed is that it is very important to encourage my fellow students and peers to get vaccinated.
Many people are still hesitant to get the vaccine and it could be because they think that it will have bad long-term effects that we don’t know about yet.
Working as an intern for the City of San José this summer, Navya found patience to be a key while discussing the positive impacts of vaccinations!
As more and more people get the vaccine in our community, the cases will start declining. This is a joint effort - only with the help of everyone will we be able to reach a point of herd immunity.
Getting the vaccine gives me more security when leaving my house. The Delta variant is here and spreading faster, especially among the unvaccinated population. And even with some vaccinated persons getting the virus, studies are showing that it is a much smaller percentage of the population and with much less severe symptoms.
Feeling safer in your community is crucial for yourself and those around you who may be more vulnerable. Not getting the vaccine can put the lives of our elderly population or people with sensitive immune systems, including our friends and families, at risk.
So yes, from my perspective, for the safety of my family and friends, for my community to be healthier, and to get us closer to that “normalcy” we are all looking for, I am glad that I chose to be vaccinated.
Lastly, if you are eligible to be vaccinated, I encourage you to do so. If you are still unsure, ask others, just have an open mind to learning about the vaccine’s benefits to you, your family and community.
Find out how to get the vaccine today if you are over the age of 12 and eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, at sccfreevax.org.