Zoom. A four letter word that destroyed kids’ ability to socially interact. Sitting in breakout rooms, hopeful that someone would speak up and contribute to the conversation, I observe in silence. This was a lonely time.

I would contemplate jumping up to get ready for another day of frustration. Sitting at my desk with my pj’s still on was the only thing keeping me involved. The coziness of my chilly room was the only comfort I had. With nothing new to look forward to, my prolonged days would continue on. As I blankly stare at the bright light of my Chromebook screen I can feel my concentration slowly wither away. I fell disinterested while my cracked bedroom window allowed the fresh crisp breeze to surround me. After awhile, I find myself preoccupied watching the cars pass by on the road below my bedroom. I’m already over it.

Yes, being at school, in class seems long. But when at home, I felt as if I was waiting a whole eternity for the bell to ring. All I wanted was to move on to the next class and go about the rest of my day. Social interaction wasn’t a thing over online school. There was no getting up, getting ready, and going to see your friends. Lonely as can be, this killed people’s motivation, especially mine.

Multiple components of Zoom gave me anxiety. Hearing the teacher call “Jenna?” was worst of all. My finger levitating over the unmute button, ready to click, made my heart thump out of my chest. Once I unmuted, the drop in my stomach fell deeper. As well as everyone else, no one felt sure of themselves to speak out. The fear of being wrong, or saying something that someone else didn’t agree with, would override one’s confidence. Judgment was apparent. Even though this whole thing put a toll on us, the only positive I took out of this experience was don’t take things for granted. Anything can change in the blink of an eye.

This narrative, written for College & Career Writing with Mr. Stastny, answers the question “What was life like for students?” during the last school year.