Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories and photos by Neshobe Elementary School students in reaction to their spring spent distance learning.
Solon Jude Berry-Barrett — Age 9
Because of social distancing I had to do school time at home. The school didn’t want us to catch the coronavirus from each other then give it to our families and teachers. Normally I would get to school at 7:30 a.m. every day and visit with the sixth-grade class before going to my third-grade class. But at home my Google Meet school is only three days each week at 9 a.m. I don’t visit with anyone before it starts. Normally I would leave school at 2:30 p.m. every day and play on the playground before going home. But at home my Google Meet ends at 9:30 a.m. and I work on school stuff at different times during the day and play at different times too.
Normally at school I only see my mom sometimes in the hallways. At home I see her all day long. Every day I have to stay out of the dining room for an hour when she does her Google Meets with her work. At home I can eat and snack while doing my schoolwork. At school we have our water bottle at our desk. At home I can listen to my favorite music while I do my schoolwork or talk on a speaker phone with my relatives. At school I can’t do that.
I only see some of my friends during our Google Meet and using Facebook Messenger. Normally I see them many times all day long if it was at school. I did see Otto and his family one day, but I didn’t get out of the car. He has chickens now.
Normally at school I could ask my teacher questions all day. At home I have to ask my mom or I can call my relatives. Sometimes I ask Alexa too. Normally at school I hand in my work to my teacher on paper. At home when I am finished my mom helps me correct it and she takes a picture of it to email my teacher. At home I finish my schoolwork on the dining room table or while swinging on my porch. I have a desk but I use that for science experiments. At school I worked at a little desk and table in my classroom. There were a bunch of distractions at school like friends, but there are different distractions at home like video games. School at school is easier. School at home is harder. I hope we can go back to school next year.