Going from fully remote to hybrid learning was a transition that I didn’t think I would be able to handle. I’ll admit that when my mom announced to me that I was going back to school in the upcoming week, I wasn’t very happy. I was a little mad that she didn’t tell me earlier, but even more so, I was nervous about what to expect. My siblings and I haven’t had a full day inside the school since our administration announced that we were going to be closed for 2 weeks back in March. As all of you know, it ended up being much longer than 2 weeks. That means I haven’t been in the school building for a full day in MONTHS!! I was unaware of how different everything was and shocked, to say the least, when I finally did go back to school. 

In the beginning of the year, I didn’t go to the school building for any reason whatsoever and I disliked the thought of even going back. I personally was enjoying my experience as a fully remote student. I got to sleep longer, have many breaks, and eat during any class every day of the week.  But, as much as I did enjoy it, there were disadvantages too, like not being in a normal class setting and not being able to see and interact with your teacher in person. Also when I first started online school I had many issues with Google Meet, and I would get logged off in the middle of class. The worst disadvantage was all the distractions at home. So, I decided to see this return to school plan as a great opportunity to finally go back to a semi-normal routine, even if it was just for 2 days at a time. When the day finally arrived to go to school I was nervous but mostly looking forward to experiencing hybrid learning. The day went by smoothly and I found all my classes. I expected the day to be much worse than it was. The most difficult part of switching from online to hybrid was wearing my mask for that long. I wasn’t used to wearing my masks for so many hours at a time, but by my second day, it was easier. Throughout the day at some points, I even forgot that I had it on. One thing that made me feel good about going to school was the warm welcome that I got from my teachers. They all gave me a warm greeting and I came to appreciate my mom sending me to school. 

Overall, I am starting to enjoy school and am still getting used to my new learning environment. I don’t dread the return as I once did, and I am looking forward to being in school and interacting with my new teachers and peers.