Madison Ballou ’21
Navigating daily life in the midst of a pandemic is beyond challenging. Upon entering the 2020-2021 school year, officials in hotspot states had to create a plan that simultaneously protected the health of families and encouraged the education of students. Governor Murphy of New Jersey made the decision to reopen in-person schooling, with the expectation that schools would provide an option for remote learning. Living in a household with several immune-compromised individuals, I decided that completing the beginning of my senior year virtually would be the responsible decision.
At first glance, remote learning seemed appealing. Waking up 5 minutes before class, not wearing a mask all day, and getting to eat lunch with my 8-year-old brother were definitely highlights of my experience doing online school. Though, I quickly discovered that learning remotely is far from easy. Aside from little to no interaction with peers, common difficulties amongst virtual learners were trouble hearing classmates, headache-inducing wifi issues, and abnormal test-taking environments. These frequent struggles did not make my transition into senior year easy, but completing the first session virtually was necessary to protect my family’s health.
However, I have returned to school for the second session, and I am excited to experience the remainder of my senior year with the OKS community!