So far, 2021 has been a year worth having an optimistic outlook for. Although there’s been a few tumbles in the earlier months, it seems as if the weather is finally starting to clear with COVID cases finally starting to dwindle. Because of this news, more and more schools are reopening to students. However, with COVID still not completely eradicated, some students can’t help but feel as if returning to school is still unsafe. However, I think some of those fears can be lifted because it’s starting to look safer. 

One reason I’m happy about returning to school is because I get to see friends that I haven’t seen in over a year. For me, the only time I really got to talk to my friends during quarantine was through text messages and Zoom chat boxes. The “behind the screen” chat didn’t feel complete to me. It wasn’t like in real life where I got to hear them speak and see their faces. It also wasn’t a complete conversation as well. Especially for me as a senior, going back to school means getting a last chance to see all my friends again before we go our separate ways. 

Another reason why I’m happy about going back to school is that it means that everything’s going back to normal again. 2020 was filled with a lot of “grief” because of the fact that things were all cancelled. However, because of how the school has reopened, it’s a sign that things might change and that events might not be cancelled anymore. Although not everything is in the clear yet, from the way people have been vaccinated and how COVID trends have been going down, it seems like things will gradually go back to normal. And even if there was another wave, experts like Jennifer Nuzzo say that the 4th wave won’t be like the past waves because of the vaccine rollout. 

I’m not that nervous about going back to school since there are safety requirements that everyone must follow such as wearing masks. There’s adequate social distancing and one always has the option to walk away from big crowds. Many hand-washing stations are found throughout the campus and if anyone ever feels the need to wash their hands, they can do so.

Although I don’t have the comfort of going to school from my house anymore, I would say that I like it much better than online learning. I am more focused on getting my stuff done and I get to have satisfying conversations with people I didn’t have the chance to have before.