I might be the one of the few who thinks this, but after a full year of dealing with Covid-19, personally, it didn’t really affect me at all, or at least, didn’t affect me negatively. I wasn’t too scared of the virus going around. I was more concerned and cautious than being afraid. Last year in the 8th grade, it was a bit difficult only because this was all new to me. But now, I’ve gotten used to it and did better this year.

I did have a big problem with sleep. I would wake up at 4:45 am for school every day. My family was concerned about this because I had dark circles around my eyes. Now my sleep schedule is much better. I now wake up at 7 am instead of 4:45 am. From time to time, I still have these dark circles around my eyes but not as much.

When it comes to online school, in the 8th grade, it was weird. My teachers had Google Classroom to communicate, not Teams or Zoom meetings. What worked best for me to communicate was e-mail, so I used my gmail more. I remember my brother was relieved when he heard students wouldn’t take STAAR tests, yet we had to take some form of test to complete the 8th grade.

Last summer didn’t feel like summer at all. Maybe because I was used to working harder at school than having a summer break to release all of my stress. It didn’t feel like I earned the right to feel excited and enjoy my summer break since STAAR was canceled. I did end up enjoying my summer break. I actually had a good time being and relaxing at home. I drew pictures, cooked new recipes, played video games, watched TV, etc.

At the beginning of the school year, going back to school even with masks made me happy. I hate to admit it, but I missed school and going to school. Even with wearing masks, and not being able to have clubs, or many other events, I just missed seeing people and learning in person. Although I did miss assemblies, I liked learning in-person rather than virtually because I understand my work better. So if anything, Covid didn’t do anything bad to affect my life.