Another staff writer for Pages By Page wrote an article about returning to school a few weeks ago, and she claimed that coming back to school was not worth it. Her article can be found here. A few other high schoolers in Guilford County who I know have similar opinions. I’d like to provide a contrasting opinion because even though I have only been to school for two days in-person this year, I feel as if my mental health has increased greatly. Now, I have something good to look forward to on every Thursday and Friday. It’s enjoyable getting to wake up and have somewhere to go.

There is social distancing, the requirement of masks, and other new protocols as a result of COVID-19, but I’m starting to see a more normal life: friends talking to each other, people joking in class, and students actually interacting with their teachers. Of course, I’d rather be in person every day of the week, but there is definitely a silver lining. In some of my classes, there are only a few students, allowing me to speak up more and get to know those few people who I hadn’t talked to much before. 

I also get to leave my house and walk to my classes instead of walking around my room during the five minute breaks. In the hallways, I’m able to talk to people too, but one of my favorite parts of the day is lunch. I don’t have to work from my computer at home while I eat my lunch. Even though we can’t eat in the cafeteria, we still get to eat with other students in our fourth period classrooms. There, I can talk to old friends and meet new ones. 

For me, returning wasn’t a question, but if I had to dig deep and find out why this was, I realized going to school is important for two main reasons: the social aspect and the educational aspect. I’ve already discussed the social part, but there isn’t too much to say about the educational side of things. Being in school or at home with hybrid learning means that we get the same education. However, once we return to full time in-person school, I have confidence that our education will be back to 100% like it was pre-pandemic.

Overall, my expectations for the return to school were exceeded. While I don’t feel like my education is better when I am in-person than when I am at school (during hybrid learning), the social part of the return to school is a major win. I’m optimistic that we will return to full time school soon, but in the meantime I’m enjoying my time at Page as much as I can.