The time has come where we are back in school full time. We have been anticipating it for over a year. It is exciting getting back to our old ways, but how do the students really feel? Are they scared or worried? Are they happy to be back? What is their mentality on everything? Students have spoken up in surveys and social media, but many were not heard like they wanted to be. Their opinions on coming back full time are valid and should be acknowledged. 

Jack Franco, a Junior at Boise High stated, “I think this might be one of the worst times to come back since it is just after a week [of] break and because we are so used to online school. It’s just not good for the mind or the body and I know I am really paying for it. I only get 6 hours of sleep on a good night not because of choice, but because school is more important than sleep and you have to sacrifice to succeed.” Many students have expressed the same concern. School is already exhausting enough, but this year it seems like everyone is trying to do a multitude of activities on top of school. Plus, many are worrying about their lives and how to be safe, this causes stress which keeps them up at night.  

Remedy Skoro Booth, also a junior, expresses her concerns about returning because of COVID, “Social distancing isn’t happening at all anymore because there is no room. We aren’t even trying to space out desks in most of my classes. Even though COVID isn’t dangerous for most kids, it will be so much easier to catch it and pass it onto high-risk family members. I’m worried this could lead to another shutdown of in person learning.” The main thing we need to do is keep everyone safe from the virus and if we aren’t staying six feet away from one another and following protocols, we will be in a constant cycle of spikes. 

Annalise Barth shared her thoughts on hybrid learning and returning to full time school, “I think it’s good for the learning experience to be back in school, but overall we should’ve kept It hybrid due to the amount of time left in the year. I don’t see any significant difference that full time in person school would make, plus less people would be infected.” Many students do feel like this new change is chaotic due to them not being in “real” school for over a year. It was kind of sprung on students with little time to mentally prepare for our old normal.

There are definitely both pros and cons to coming back. Some pros include seeing our friends and getting to actually ask questions in a classroom environment. Plus we get to know people better and have a clear understanding of projects/assignments. Everything is still up in the air and a lot could change in a few weeks, whether it’s good or bad. The unknown is called the unknown for a reason, and we are living in a time where almost everything seems mysterious and scary. Everyone should keep speaking up and try to have positive outlooks for this last quarter. We are almost done with this year, but it doesn’t mean you can’t speak your mind. Let your voice be heard.