Happy one-weekiversary of alternative schooling! Today is March 25.
It is crazy to think that the first day of this “break” because of the coronavirus was only a week ago. I feel like since then, all of the typical dynamics in my life have shifted. From my sleep patterns and meal times to my outlook on school and education, this time away from a traditional classroom setting has been eye-opening. Since the virus’ future impacts remain to be seen, I don’t know what to expect from the rest of my senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying.
As much as I enjoyed spending time with my family last night, our TV and movie night well past my bedtime. Since I was in the mood for some lighthearted content, my parents and I watched the 2019 D.C. superhero movie “Shazam!” While I wouldn’t put it on my top 10 list of favorite films, the flick fulfilled its purpose and left us laughing and on the edge of our seats by the end. To follow in its action-packed path, my dad found another work Zachary Levi did he wanted us to watch. “Chuck,” which is a show about an ordinary technology repairman who unwittingly receives top secret government information, became an immediate hit. It was the perfect mixture of comedy, drama, action and just a hint of romance to satisfy all our criteria for a family show. We finally called our night quits when the clock passed midnight, but I was so wired from the movie and introductory episode I had a hard time falling asleep until nearly 1 a.m.
Waking up early this morning, however, I started off my day right with yesterday morning’s leftover French toast and sausage. After slowly recovering my senses and mental capabilities from within my sleep-deprived brain, I decided to complete some of the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology work I’d let pile up. As much as I enjoy the content and adore the atmosphere my teacher creates in class, I have grown bored of reading the textbook.
I’ve already taken AP World History, AP Spanish Language and Composition, AP U.S. History and AP Language and Composition, and I’m currently taking AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB and AP Literature and Composition. Fair be it to say, I’ve had enough textbook reading and note-taking to last several lifetimes. I quickly filled up numerous pages of notes on testing and intelligence, and while the reading and content comprehension were relatively straight-forward, the work itself was tedious and time consuming. Nevertheless, I was able to finish the unit in only a couple of hours, which left me enough time to enjoy my day while still accomplishing the school-related task I’d set out to complete.
After two more episodes of “Chuck” and several of “Criminal Minds,” which is a show about FBI agents in the Behavioral Analysis Unit, my mom convinced me to enjoy the beautiful spring day. Convinced may be too polite a word, though; I think what I mean to say is cajoled. With love. Under mild duress, I put on actual clothes (not just pajamas) to go for a walk. I even went so far as to put in contacts. After finding a pair of sunglasses and tugging on a light jacket, I headed out the door.[vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1585193915087-01f1f137-f7e6-1″ include=”329815,329814,329813,329812,329811,329822,329809,329810,329823″][penci_text_block block_title_align=”style-title-left” custom_markup_1=””]For the first time in eight days, I was outside the confines of my house. The temperature was perfect. The sun was still high enough, so I was in no danger of stranding myself in the dark. I popped in my headphones, put on a podcast and started to walk. During the summer, I found a perfect podcast to listen to on longer walks called “Under Cover” on Spotify. Each episode features a different band or artist performing a cover song and talking about the experience in selecting and performing it. I love to listen to podcasts when I walk, especially this one, because the conversations occupy my mind while the background music motivates me to move. Surrounded by nature, I walked for about an hour simply breathing in the fresh air.
To be completely honest, however, I almost felt guilty for being outside. As I was walking, a police car drove by me. I thought for an irrational second I would get in trouble for not staying indoors during the stay-at-home order, even though it by no means says people must physically lock themselves inside and never leave. As paranoid as that may sound, I struggled to separate my worries about getting sick or somehow getting someone else sick from the reality that in the hour I was away from home, I saw only cars, trees and two other people on the other side of the road. I suppose this is part of the fear that comes with a pandemic, although I know it is unrealistic. Hopefully, once all this passes, I will be able to leave my home a little easier. If walking on my street makes me feel like this, I can only imagine how terrifying others’ lives must be at this moment. I am thankful for the privilege and luxury my place in this country and my parents’ jobs allow me to have.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou, poet, civil rights activist
How did you spend your eighth day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.[/penci_text_block]
