Editor’s Note: This series follows how members of our community are handling the extended break. If you want your voice included, email el2115046@easton.k12.ma.us. Stay safe. Sane.
As all of you reading this know, school has been cancelled until April 7th, and everyone is strongly encouraged to stay away from large groups and try to minimize contact with friends and extended family.
Social Distancing is an effective way to make sure hospitals are not overwhelmed and Coronavirus spreads slower. But it also can have a negative impact mentally, with many basically staying home for almost an entire month.
I checked in with some OA students to see how they are passing their time at home and how they are dealing with social distancing mentally.
Most students I interviewed said that they were watching Netflix, doing some artistic hobbies, and going on walks, especially if they had a dog. But their responses on how they were doing mentally was more varied.
Junior Lindsey Mann’s response is a great summary of what a lot of students have been dealing with, also noting that the worst part is mentally for her and many others.
”I’ve been trying to convince myself basically that this is the worst of it and it will only get better but it’s hard seeing something new canceled everyday online.”
Another common trend I noticed with student’s reactions to the cancellation of school is the strange desire to go back, or at least miss it.
“And honestly I’m getting bored quickly: like it is nice to have me time and be able to catch back up on life with not a lot of stress, but I actually miss school and socializing with my friends (which I never thought I’d say- like I never imagined missing school)” says Caroline Botelho, a junior, about how she is dealing with the time off and social distancing.
Worrying about school in general is a common trend with many of the responses.
”When you’re in honors and ap classes your entire social life is built upon your classes- and a lot of your free time is spent doing things for those classes- so when it’s just taken away from you like that there’s this huge void in your life that you don’t know how to fill because you’ve never had the time to” says senior Peyton Gardner.
The most important thing I learned from texting with these students is the importance of checking up on your friends and family to see how they are doing in these tough times, and to reach out if you feel stressed or overwhelmed.