This submission is in response to our callout for experiences with returning to school amid the coronavirus pandemic. Submit yours here.
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“Going to the online format requires that I now buy a lab kit and two subscriptions to online programs that is going to cost about $500. This is in addition to my tuition and my normal costs for my outrageously expensive books. As a community college student, that $500 is about 25% of my tuition. I am lucky -- $500, although not nothing, is a manageable expense for me. I still have a job and I don’t have kids. I am not struggling on unemployment to make rent, feed my family, and pay the bills. There are many community college students who are. Schools need to start holding themselves accountable for textbooks and other costs. It was a problem before the pandemic and it only is getting worse.”
-- Anonymous
“I think it’s bad, in my opinion, to reopen school. I go for four days and we do not stay 6 feet away, and I run cross country and we are so close to each other -- definitely the football player, too. It’s just getting worse by the second and no one is doing any thing about it -- not my school or the district.”
-- Payton
“I believe by Thanksgiving everything will be shut down again.”
-- Anonymous
“I come from a home with strict parents, so things like Instagram, Facebook, and even Snapchat is banned. Sometimes, I feel really disconnected with what’s been happening in my state, but the news has been helping me recently with that. However, I can’t really talk with my old friends much because my parents never bought me a phone, and they barely let me use theirs. In times like this, communication really is important. I feel like I wasn’t allowed to communicate much with my friends since the quarantine started. I’ve experienced loneliness, FOMO, and loss of motivation during this pandemic because of the very strict rules in my house. Since March 13, 2020, (for almost 6 months now), I haven’t seen a single person my age face-to-face(6 feet away). Since July, I haven’t contacted any of my school friends. This is NOT just a mood. It ISN’T just a teenager thing. During this pandemic, parents NEED to allow their children to see their friends (whether it’s a Zoom call or 6 feet away). I hope that no other kid/teen will experience isolation like I did in this pandemic.”
-- Tolu
View more: Student confessionals
Tell us about school during coronavirus pandemic
We’ve heard from so many people with thoughts and concerns about returning to school this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Now it’s time to hear about how the return is going. Whether you are attending school totally virtually, in-person or a combination of both, we want to know how it’s going. What is the experience like? What has changed the most for you?
We want to hear from any and all high school and college students, including those of you living on a college campus:
- View: School Confessionals