We knew going back to school after our year and a half long pause would be a different experience, but I don’t think we anticipated just how much COVID-19 would impact each and every one of us. The CoronaVirus outbreak has affected everyone differently, but what impact has it had on students now being thrown back into in-person schooling? What are the consequences of this decision? And how have they, and will they, continue to influence the students moving forward? 

“Honestly, being away from everyone for so long has really dug a wedge between people. Even teachers seem a little hesitant being back and speaking in front of other people,” Payton Deffley, a student attending Red Putnam High School, says. 

 The lack of interaction and communication that we endured during the past year has stunted our ability to make connections with our peers, which makes the environment students are meant to learn more difficult. Social isolation has been shown to affect people of all ages, contributing to overall social anxiety and depression. 

 “Distance learning was really hard for me. And now being back and not knowing or remembering the curriculum from the past year (due to the amount of stress COVID learning-induced) is causing me to fall behind.” Baylee Rose, a Junior at Rex Putnam expresses. 

Not only has distance learning affected the mental health of students, but it has also affected the way students are now made to integrate into in-person schooling. Now struggling to keep up with the lack of education they absorbed over COVID. The changes that occurred in teens and children during quarantine will have long-lasting effects as they continue on in their new learning environments. And COVID-19 has already had a huge impact on the way teaching will go on as a whole.

We can all agree that this year has not been a normal one and that the contents of the ones to come are currently unknown. However, with everything students have gone through, at this point, it’s easy to believe they will work through and proceed with the proper precautions, as well as continue to do their best to prevail through this unpredictable time.