My goal after all this is to experience life a bit harder
March 12, 2020. A day of bliss for many high school students. Two weeks and a March break away from the agonies of chemistry labs, trigonometry tests and essays. Two weeks and a March break purely dedicated to binge watching “Friends,” baking to our heart’s/ stomach’s content, and determining which Ordinary products will clear up our breakouts. Two weeks and a March break away for doing absolutely nothing, which to any lazy person is absolutely everything you could want.
Life was a lot simpler on March 12, 2020. Life was a lot different.
As I reflect over these past two months, events didn’t turn out the way any of us expected. Those two weeks and a March break became an early summer break “stuck at home edition” and the self-care, cooking and Netflix rituals have evolved into a distant joy of the past. The new hobbies are now nonexistent and the constant news of death and sickness due to COVID-19 has become overkill.
Undoubtedly, one of the most challenging parts of this pandemic as a teen is adjusting to online learning. As school work began to pile up in late March, I, like many, had to juggle asynchronous learning with chores, entertaining my little sister and mentally coping with the losses the pandemic has incurred on society.
Coupled with the troubles of learning math through a screen, a multitude of distractions at home, including technology and family, make it difficult to create a disciplined learning environment. Just because you are tired of listening to your physics teacher nag about magnetism doesn’t mean you can walk out of the classroom. Well, a student in 2020 would disagree with that sentiment.
COVID-19 has exposed the weak foundations of coping with tragedies among society, especially in young people. Although digitally communicating is not novel for the youth of today, contrary to popular belief, we still value social interaction. It is vital to our development, for it builds our skills and teaches us significant life lessons.
I know I am not alone when I say COVID-19 has negatively impacted my mental health, whether that be feeling lonely, more anxious due to looming French assignment deadlines, or unhappy without my friends.
FaceTime, Instagram and Snapchat can’t replace the joys of spontaneous hangouts, enjoying Boba on a park bench, or sleeping in class as your teacher speaks passionately about Shakespeare. Those joys are too real to be felt through a screen.
School may have been a burden before, but as I’ve spent time away, I’ve realized its value. Learning about the world, brainstorming careers, conducting fundraisers and hosting club meetings — all of those have a value I undermined.
My biggest goal after this pandemic is to experience life a little harder. Put my phone down. Enjoy every moment. Laugh with my friends. Smell fresh air. Be grateful.
COVID-19 has taught me that the greatest blessings of all are the ones we fail to appreciate. Haleema Ahmed is a Grade 11 student at Middlefield Collegiate Institute in Markham.