SPECIAL TO THE CALDWELL JOURNAL (March 17, 2021) — This has been a crazy and unpleasant experience for me. There have been some good parts to being stuck at home, but there have also been bad parts happening. These are my thoughts and opinions on school, news, and friends.
Some good things that have been happening in school are my chances to meet new friends. I am online learning, so I talk and hear other kids during class. However, kids in class don’t like to turn their cameras on (they don’t like to show their faces). I get to hear them, but I don’t get to see them, this makes new friends’ kind-of different than the old days. I think I know them better since I really have to pay attention to their voice and what they say. But it is hard to recognize them or make a tight connection. Online learning is also enjoyable because you don’t have to wear shoes (or even school clothes), you can take breaks and go outside between classes, and you can snack whenever you get hungry. Another positive is that I still get to participate in school sports. I love soccer and that I get to be with some of my friends in person! These are the great things that I have discovered while being home during Coronavirus.
Being home all day, every day, means that I hear more about the news. For a year this news has been all about the Coronavirus. During the Coronavirus I have heard all about the hospital beds running out. Each new day I hear about the numbers of people sick and dying from the pandemic. This gives me a sad feeling.
The news about people losing jobs is also not a good feeling for kids who have parents that have lost their jobs or could lose their jobs. All this negative news has been one of the worst parts of dealing with this year of the Coronavirus.
Finally, the worst part of the year has been not playing with friends. It makes my day less exciting and feels lonely. I used to play with my neighbors every day. I loved that I could go outside and find someone to start a game of basketball with or go from house to house playing Nerf war. This and the news about Coronavirus have been the hardest part of my life this past year. Although this has been hard, playing sports with friends and doing virtual classes has made it better. I try to focus on the positive side of life. For me that means looking forward to my next soccer game or baseball practice. Things are looking up, I hope soon Coronavirus will be over, then I will be back playing with my neighbors and seeing my friends at school.
By Dalton P. (GFMS Student)
Great Job Dalton!!!…Mark (CJ)