My students are sharing more stories as part of the global project “A Day in my Life: living under the Covid-19 Pandemic.” We hope you and your students enjoy reading them!
To see all reflections shared so far go to the Educate Magis Covid-19 page
A Day in my Life: Matthew 1, 15, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
A day in the life. In the morning I wake up around 10 minutes before school, the time varies depending on what day of the week, however. After getting through my first few periods we have a break which is when I go get breakfast and brush my teeth. In the U.S our family has enough food and other essentials. Later, I go back to school and eat a little bit in between classes, but I’m done by around 2:45 on most days. Right after school I do homework for about an hour.
When I’m done with everything, I need to do I go outside and give my dog a walk. I have heard that in some places you are not allowed outside but so far over here people aren’t taking that so seriously and some of my friends are still hanging out and stuff, but I can’t. When I get back from my dog walk, I usually have to help out my mom.
Finally, I go play some videogames or watch some YouTube. I eat some dinner and that’s what I do for the rest of my night which is until midnight usually. My day is pretty dull, but hopefully everyone reading this is finding something to do and can write down what they are doing to pass the time. I understand that it is hard to spend so much time with the same people. Just remember that they are your family and just ask them for some privacy while trying to also stay engaged with them regularly.
A Day in my Life: Matthew 2, 15, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
In the United States, our country has passed all other countries for being most affected by the corona virus. Ever since then, many states and cities have been under lockdown, which means that people are no longer able to have large gatherings with each other and some must stay in their houses until further notice. Because of this, many lives have been impacted and changed. For example, some people who work in buildings aren’t allowed to come to work anymore because since there could be a large gathering, that’s a higher risk of many people catching the Covid-19. Those who don’t work in company buildings and have careers where they can’t work from home have no way to make money and fund for themselves and their family.
Another example of how the Covid-19 has impacted lives are students. Obviously going to school would be considered a large gathering and so that’s why many schools have decided to temporarily cancel and allow students to stay home and learn through online education. Instead of being in a classroom, students now have to video call with their class and learn through a screen. Although this is a very bad situation, there are some positives that still shine through. I’ve noticed that since everyone is home, families are spending more time with each other. Since not many people are going out, there has been less pollution because less cars are being driven and less littering is taking place as well. Maybe people will learn that spending time with their families is important and that it should take place more often and this will allow more happiness and prosperity in these families.
A Day in my Life: Mosby, 15, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
My parents and I have been trying to watch the news every day to try and stay informed about the coronavirus and how it affects the rest of the country and world. I have a friend who lives in Italy and he was up in the mountains with his mom on winter break when they started complete lockdown. He hasn’t seen his dad because he can’t go back to his home. It has been going on for him for about 2 months now. So being in shelter in place/lockdown has obviously impacted me tremendously.
I stay at home all day and do my classes online. I feel very dead inside and also very bored. This is challenging for me because I can’t sit still for more than an hour. I think the only gifts and grace that I get from this situation is that I get more sleep and that’s pretty much it. I feel kind of uncomfortable discussing our future just because there is a ton of crisis in the world and I really am uncertain about how long our futures going to last.
I think our society needs to realize what is happening and stop being so ignorant to big world crisis like global warming pollution etc. obviously I believe the corona virus is temporary and probably won’t be a huge problem once we get our medical act together (don’t want to jinx it though) however, world crisis’s like global warming and pollution are NOT going to just go away. I’m hoping people will step up their effort to help humanity and will stop hurting our planet with their greed and other temptations.
A Day in my Life: Nate, 15, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
In America, the situation with the coronavirus is worse than ever. With over 2,000 deaths and 122,000 confirmed cases, our casualty rates are predicted to rise dramatically. These numbers have caused the rest of the population to be affected as well.
The shelter-in-place has led to many changed in my everyday routine. Instead of waking up at 7:00am to get ready for school, I get to sleep in an extra hour to attend online classes. My school is fortunate enough to meet virtually and talk live as a class. Academically, the biggest change is just not being on campus. Although we cannot work on group projects, and our teachers are now giving more homework (literally, homework), school has not shifted too much. Socially, it’s been very different not seeing anyone other than my brother and mom. I FaceTime with my friends, but it is nothing like talking to them face to face.
Activities such as sports, drama, robotics, and other extra curriculars have been cancelled due to the pandemic. My baseball season has come to a close, and the play my brother got into will not have any shows. In 2015, Bill Gates predicted that a pandemic may hit the world, and we should make efforts to be ready. He now says, “We should have done more.”
I pray for the victims of the coronavirus as well as their families, and I hope that others will gain the wisdom to stay inside, limiting the spread of the virus. I hope that once this is over, our world will learn from it, and not only prepare for a future pandemic, but any other catastrophic event that might take place.
A Day in my Life: Nicolás, 14, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
The coronavirus in the United States has reached a point in which we have the highest amount of cases. This means a couple of things for me. One, even if it’s necessary, we can’t go out. Two, my mom’s out of work without getting paid while my dad has to work at least 8 hours in San Francisco construction in the open air to be paid. My daily routine has changed in so many ways, I don’t even think I have one anymore. There were so many things that changed, got cancelled, so now my routine is sleep and school for the most part.
The challenges at the moment are finding supplies. Luckily, my mom went to the store before any of this blew up and decided to stock up not because of coronavirus, but because she felt like something was going to happen that would require her to have supplies. Remote learning also was a challenge as it was a hard transition and pretty hard to follow along with afterwards because of the bad transition. Some good things are the interaction, I was able to interact with friends, so I don’t feel lonely. Also, I’m able to get more sleep, and now I’m always energized.
I have a strong feeling about the future being good. With this whole pandemic, the world has been as I say “greener.” I believe that because of this, although there will be changes, if we act right, the future could be bright with the world getting back in shape. I have concerns about my dad still working, mainly because it’s different now. It used to be to show up to work and work to be paid each hour for him, now if he doesn’t work at least 8, he won’t get paid for the day. I’m also concerned for his health both physically and mentally with all this pressure on him to get money during this crazy time.
A Day in my Life: Nico, 15, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
As of me writing this story right now, the US currently has the most cases of Coronavirus out of any other country, and those statistics have taken its toll. A shelter in place has been put into effect in every state, allowing people to leave their house only for necessities, and stopping mass gatherings from taking place. In certain states, the shelter in place has gotten so intense that citizens are encouraged to report if their neighbors leave their house. This whole situation has changed the livelihoods of everyone in the country, keeping everyone in their own homes including myself.
With nearly everything in my life being cancelled, from robotics to extracurriculars, my life has become much calmer and more slow-paced nowadays. Rather than going to school and doing other activities later in the day, I’ve spent my time doing online school and focusing more on my personal life. With more time in between each of my classes, I’ve found it easier to catch up on assignments, but still make time for things that I enjoy. And as an introvert, I always find something to keep myself occupied with, and I’m currently trying to catch up on all the sleep I missed during the school year. However, things aren’t all sunshine and roses during this quarantine, with other issues replacing those that came before. With everyone panicked, the amount of panic shopping that had taken the country resulted in there being limited supplies in many stores, with items like rice and toilet paper being in shortage. Furthermore, the arrival of COVID-19 has thrown my entire school plans into jeopardy, with me now unsure what to expect during sophomore year. Yet throughout this time, I will continue to stick to my quiet lifestyle, and follow the quarantine to my best ability.
Through this time of hardship, something that I’ve quickly learned is that many countries aren’t prepared for a crisis, and ours is the best example of that. The panicking has only made the situation much worse, our stock market has horribly backtracked, and certain people have made little to no attempt to stay indoors. I’m aware that it’s impossible to make a utopian society, but our world is far from being any sort of paradise, with the US being the worst example of that. Yet while humanity hasn’t taken to this virus outbreak kindly, the planet itself seems to have undone some of the damage we caused. Fish have finally begun to return to the canals of Venice after years, and the air pollution rates has dropped substantially. So, from this entire situation, I hope that our society learns that there’s a balance between calm and workforce, efficiency and relaxation. By constantly keeping the wheels of commerce alive, the nature of the planet has taken its toll, yet all doesn’t seem lost after seeing what just a month of quarantine has done. So I hope that after this whole thing blows over, people are able to realize that with both the perfect balance of both work and time at home, we may be able to turn around 2020 for the better.
A Day in my Life: Niko, 14, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
Covid-19 has impacted my life tremendously, I sleep in more, find different ways to exercise, and changed my eating schedule. Usually, I would wake up around 6:45 now I do not need to drive to school so I will wake up at 8 o’clock now. Some challenges have been focusing in class, because with microphones muted and without cameras on focusing on what the teachers are saying is a challenge. Another challenge I have faced is studying for tests or quizzes. When at home all day I lack studying for an exam the next day which has led to not receiving the score I wanted.
Our society should learn to take crisis’s like Covid-19 more seriously. People lack sheltering in place, which has led to more cases of the virus spreading. If people take pandemics more seriously when it just starts, then the spread of viruses might be minimal. When people ignore the warnings of social distancing then the pandemic will continue to grow and become worse.
Some concerns I have during this uncertain time is how while the economy and business get back on track. Companies are releasing many workers during the shelter in place, which can affect the economy tremendously. Some hopes I have is that everyone will return healthier and that this long break can help us discover new interest and find ways to connect more with family members.
A Day in my Life: Paolo, 14, Bellarmine College Preparatory, USA
I do not know much about the Coronavirus. I tend to look away from the news. I want to avoid panic and fear, because I know that the virus will not likely affect me as bad as other things can. If one compares the coronavirus to other pandemics or diseases, the coronavirus can sometimes seem tame. However, I understand that the elderly and those with underlying conditions are high risk. I feel for those people and I wish for this pandemic to end. There is no reason for young, healthy people to worry about the coronavirus. Worrying about the coronavirus will lead the people to make foolish and selfish decisions. Raiding Costco and hacking away at their supplies leaves those that are at high-risk without necessary supplies.
As for me, the coronavirus has really affected the things around me and my daily life. For starters, I can no longer attend school in person, but I must attend school online. Mixed feelings can come from taking online school. First, I have a lot more rest than I used to. I had to wake up at 5:30 in order to reach school at 7:30. Now, I have to wake up at 7:30 to be ready for school that starts at 8:15. I also practice for cross country more, because there is no track season. However, with pros always come cons. First, there is a severe lack of social interaction. Seeing people through a screen is much different than speaking with them in person. I no longer see the people that I do not have any classes with.
To be frank, I am not afraid of the corona virus, I just think it is a complete inconvenience. I do not like how school is closed over it, because I want to speak with my friends. Watching our great society tear apart in selfish desires angers me. Watching people fight over toilet paper and hand sanitizer reveals what a pandemic can cause. I think during times like these we must band together, because taking things that we really do not need disadvantages those that could use them.
