GEN-Z VIEW: ONLINE SCHOOL

I'm currently a freshman at Los Altos High School and live in Mountain View, California. Our last day at school was on March 13th, and I've been at home on break or attending online school since then. My days consist mostly of being on the computer, either attending online classes or animating on Scratch. For a while I was enjoying this more relaxing lifestyle, but then once online schooling ramped up, the days became less easy-going. Yet my complaint about online schooling is less about the workload and more about stress load. It’s overwhelming to have the entire weeks’ worth of work thrown at you on Monday morning. Not only that, being assigned specific online Zoom classroom times adds more stress and time management to the equation. I’d much rather prefer to go to regular school over what we’re doing now. 

Overall, I enjoy the time I have at home when I’m not drowned by online papers and other school assignments. I love spending my quarantine time chatting with friends online through an app called Discord, which has features such as immediate updates and voice chats. I really enjoy animating, and this quarantine is the perfect opportunity for me to sharpen up my skills and work on my animation projects. Within the last month, I’ve been more productive on Scratch than during any other time, working on many different animation techniques such as “slow in” and “slow out”. I’ve yet to figure out which technique I prefer. 

​I did not let quarantine stop me from staying in physical shape either. I make sure to spend time outside at least once a day, and I work out by playing baseball in the street with my Dad or by lifting weights in the basement. I can only improve my strength if I keep up with this routine for an hour every day. Keeping my mental health in shape is important as well: I make sure to read an hour a day to keep my mind challenged. 
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Spring can be a frustrating time of year for someone like myself, as my allergies flare up during this season. When I cough from my allergies, I get the sense that wary people around me suspect I have the virus. Fortunately, I’ve been healthy so far. 
 
My personal opinion on this quarantine is I’d much rather go back to normal life: attending a physical school and having a regular schedule every day. Despite the downsides, I realize I’m lucky as nobody in my household has gotten sick. Even if it feels crowded at times, my family has a decent house to stay in during shelter in place. The extra time I’m getting to spend with my family, watching the show Survivor as a family at lunch, is one of the brightest moments during shelter in place. 
 
Gareth Cartier
Freshman - Los Altos High School

credit: Gareth Cartier