As the school year drags on, and the distance from Monday to Friday seems insurmountable, it is not uncommon to hear students complain that they just want to go home. Nearly 7 hours of school every day can become overwhelming, with our ever-growing list of responsibilities including homework, tests and extracurriculars. Now that we have a break from it all, the same teens who excitedly rush to leave the school building at 2:30 p.m. are longing to go back to school.
This unprecedented closure, due to an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, has provided us with free time, an opportunity to sleep in and a reason to stay at home all day. Despite the freedom, teens got bored pretty quickly.
Eli Langholt, a sophomore at Quince Orchard, spends his time practicing the bass guitar, playing video games, taking naps and eating ramen noodles. However, after over two weeks of “coronacation,” his opinion has changed.
“It’s so boring,” Langholt said. “I’m alone in my room most of the time.”
Langholt does venture out to go on walks in the woods sometimes, but misses the social aspect of his life before the global pandemic.
“Being cooped up at home is boring. I would like to see people during the day, like my teachers,” Langholt said.
With restaurants, entertainment venues, gyms and non-essential stores closed, countless teens are stuck inside with their normal activities cancelled, which is agonizing for many. Langholt, who is the bassist in a band with two other MoCo students, misses both attending punk rock shows and performing shows. However, he acknowledges that mosh pits are not exactly ideal during this period of social distancing.
Other teens have found ways to use their free time productively as well, such as Magruder senior Tiffany Kalota.
“I’ve spent my time… mostly playing video games and watching Netflix, but also getting things done I never had time to do earlier,” Kalota said.
Quarantine does not have to be boring, especially for those who are exploring their creative side and connecting with friends digitally.
“I’ve been painting a lot, cooking, watching Netflix, and Facetiming my friends,” said Wootton senior Omar Hafeez.
Staying home is also not a bore for introverts. Clarksburg freshman Vincent Xie, who spent his time playing Minecraft, chatting with friends on Google Hangouts, making food, going on social media, playing games and online shopping, is grateful to have a break from his usual schedule.
“Being in school is awkward, so I prefer not being in school,” Xie said. “I’m antisocial. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Although there is suddenly a whole lot of free time on our hands, a vast majority of teens are tired of being in quarantine and just want to hang out with their friends again. Parties and social gatherings are now replaced with Zoom or Facetime, so the “fun” is temporarily put on hold. Despite the challenges of not interacting with peers for over three weeks now, there is value in social distancing for the time being.
“I think social distancing is very important,” said Kalota, “and even though it might suck to not see the people you’re close to, it’s super important to socially distance [yourself] to do your part in calming the pandemic.”
While being holed up in our homes with just our family as company might not be ideal, we absolutely need to stay quarantined to flatten the curve. The faster we follow the rules and stay inside, the faster life will go back to normal.
Article by Zoe Bell of Quince Orchard High School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School