It’s been 8 days since I’ve been to school; Being sick with pneumonia for the past two weeks has left me isolated and pushed me to the point of wishing I were at school. It seems nice: Getting to avoid having to go to school, and instead, staying home to relax and catch up on sleep, but I would give anything to go back.
Now, there still are some good things about staying home. It makes you realize how easy a lot of schoolwork really is, and how little of the day is spent on it. It’s entirely possible to get through all of the stuff from Google Classroom in only three hours, without the interruptions of a normal class period, leaving the rest of the day open.
However, this means you lose out on a lot, as some assignments, (particularly in classes that emphasize group work–like Mrs. Breckley’s Spanish 3 class), are impossible to do without the help of a partner, or materials provided in class.
What you can do depends on how well the teachers update their Google Classrooms. Some are very consistent at providing daily updates, while others don’t post as often.
It’s also hard to do work because there’s a constant temptation of easy Internet access and AI. With no teacher, no one will hold you accountable to start working, and your parents can’t watch you every moment. This often means I don’t start school work until 11 or 12 a.m., and other involuntary breaks mean I can’t finish until about 4 or 5 pm, (much later than I would normally leave school).
Being sick means you can’t enjoy your time off as well, as you don’t have a lot of energy, struggle with coughing and vomiting, (my cough gets so bad at times I can barely speak), and in my case, I can’t really do anything other than watch YouTube videos, which leads to my brain cells not functioning properly.
My sick brain also gets in the way of my schoolwork. I’ve been finding Ms. Raschko’s Precalculus materials nearly incomprehensible, and it’s hard to focus on assigned readings with a shortened attention span.
Having a child sick at home is hard for parents as well because they have to abandon their daily commitments to give me medication and be on hand in case something happens.
My mother is having to adapt to the situation, as it’s “time-consuming, taking her away from what she wants to do.” The worst part is, “Watching me suffer,” and the, “Uncertainty.” Although my father isn’t around me all the time, he says, “I know you like school (to me),” and, “ I just want you to get better right away.”
I have to say I agree, this isn’t fun. I don’t like watching myself suffer either. My coping mechanism is pretending it’s not as bad as it is. I always seem to think today’s the last day of illness, before reality disappoints me.
It’s starting to feel like the short from Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas where Huey, Dewey, and Louie get their wish to repeat Christmas over and over. At first, it’s fun, but it wears off and gets tiring. That’s how I feel if I’m being honest: It was nice staying home in the beginning, but now it’s just boring.