Teens describe high school post COVID: 'No soft cushions for this very hard landing'

March 2020 changed our world forever.

For students like me, school has not looked the same since that day. Students have been resilient while facing all-virtual learning (synchronous and asynchronous), a hybrid-option, and now all-in learning.

I asked students from a few different schools about their experiences and what's changed. So a year and a half later, what's different and what has come back.

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First, the transition from hybrid to fully back in school was no easy change. Many students were looking for a transition into the normal flow of learning, but we were greeted with the opposite.

Nina Colella, a junior at Shawnee High School in Medford, New Jersey, phrased this perfectly: "There were no soft cushions for this very hard landing."

Teachers dove right into the rigorous school year, with homework almost every night and tests every week. That created the most difficult part of the adjustment of going back full time

"I cheated on a lot of activities, and I didn't understand what I was learning," one student said.

Countless students fall into this category the student was describing; the teaching didn't stick and testing was flawed.

All the students interviewed wished teachers tried to create a leniency period for students to readjust to the true school environment.

Freshmen haven’t even had a real school year since their 7th grade, so their work ethic is not what a normal freshman class would be like.

Of course the positive of being fully back in school is that students can finally see their friends on a daily basis, and get a normal amount of physical interaction.

“I think I missed out on physical communication the most," said Rebecca Yost, a junior at William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pa. "When I first got back to school it was so different; I felt like I had to relearn how to have an actual conversation. But now that I’m used to it again, I love it. It’s nice to be able to talk to your friends, even your teachers, in real life.”

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What she is describing seems like what everyone is feeling. My own school, Lower Moreland High School, had a psychologist come and talk to concerned parents about isolation and how to help their child return to society.

Certain aspects of returning to school can be frightening, but also revitalizing at the same time.

Due to the pandemic the way lunches, sports, and school events look entirely different.

At Lower Moreland, there is a strict protocol that students must follow during lunch; we are split between the cafeteria and the auditorium and must have our masks up whenever we are not actively eating. There was also a seating chart created without taking into account who’s friends with whom.

This aspect of lunch makes school a little unbearable, as most students wish they could sit next to their friends. But for other high schoolers, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Lunch is one of the old aspects that we have back at our school again," said junior Paige Venable, of Seneca High School in Tabernacle, New Jersey. "Luckily, it’s very flexible and we are essentially allowed to sit/go wherever we want, even with our friends.”

Having friends near you at lunch brings back the social interactions of the past and creates a better environment for students.

Another thing that is back in session is sports! All the schools in the local area are back in full swing, with spectators allowed to come and enjoy them.

School events also are back, but are looking a little different. Most schools allowed for a homecoming again this year, but some schools took the caution to hold it outside.

Another feature of these school-sanctioned events is masking is still required or at least recommended for most schools. These events are building back the bonds students lost in previous years due to the pandemic.

Even though the pandemic is continuing, students are coming back and trying to regain control of their own lives. Schools are in session with some normalcy brought back, but still, there is a long way to go till schools return to how they used to be if that’s possible.

Lastly, to the students reading, I applaud you. We have gone through something no other generation has gone through, and our resilience and ability to adapt have kept us strong.

Nobody could prepare us for the past two years, but here we are finally returning back to something of the past.

Arlene Singh is a junior at Lower Moreland High School. A music enthusiast, she's looking to be heard on important topics and provide a fresh outlook on ideas.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: As teens return to in-person learning, some struggle