In the current world, discussions regarding the best way to be safe and protect yourself and your family from the COVID-19 virus is a widespread topic. Since March of 2020, this pandemic has affected practically every person in the world in some way or another. Plans were cancelled, events were postponed, and, arguably most importantly, children and teenagers everywhere were forced to transition into a remote setting to continue their education. This situation has been a wake up call for many, myself included. Several individuals have been forced to make dire decisions that, in the past, would have sounded completely unfathomable. Personally, it is very difficult to believe that I am coming up on it being an entire year since I was last in school. However, these unprecedented times have forced me to really take a step back and think about what makes me happy, and find a whole new appreciation for being in school.

This pandemic, although it would have been poorly timed whenever it could have possibly occurred, made the transition from middle school to high school this past year much more complicated for many freshmen. Simply put, it definitely was not the introduction into a new environment that most people expected it to be. Starting the year off, it was mandatory that every student began learning from their homes, and it was originally very difficult for me to get into the swing of things in this new routine. However, over the course of time, I began to feel much more comfortable in this setting, and I started to feel as if I had been learning this way all along. The teachers at FTHS have been going above and beyond to make the online learning experience as comfortable and beneficial for students as they can, and I believe that this motivation inspired many students to continue to learn in an online setting. Although remote learning definitely has its disadvantages, the main one being not being able to communicate with my peers as effectively, I had decided that the benefits outweighed the possible negatives. As a result of these findings, I eventually came to the decision that I would continue to learn in a virtual setting for the foreseeable future. Although every person may have individual reasons for coming to this decision, the main criteria that I used to make this choice seemed to be very widespread.

Extending past the initial worries regarding being able to successfully learn virtually, it is very understandable that many people, myself included, were also very nervous about whether or not they would be able to meet new friends and connect with their classmates, even while not being able to see them in person at the moment. These worries were soon diminished, however, in my personal experience, when I began to form friendships with various different people through text messaging and different clubs. Although it is much different than being able to evolve a relationship face to face, this method turned out to be beneficial and really gave me the boost of confidence I needed to be able to start off the new year. 

All in all, it is very difficult to say what the best option for education is at the moment. Parents everywhere are trying to decide what the best option for their children is, while having to bear in mind health risks, social issues, and educational difficulties. Even though my freshman year of high school did not play out the way that I anticipated, I truly believe that it was even more special, and knowing that I spent it learning during a very important time in history brings me comfort.