The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent
quarantine and lockdown caught all of us off guard.
Still, its effects on our peers are very personal, and
often we rarely discuss how life during this moment
in history has changed our perspectives.
Talyah McLennan, a student at Renton High, opens
up about her experiences with Quarantine.

How were the first few weeks off from school
like for you? What were you expecting?

-When we first went off of school back in 2020, I at
first thought, “Oh, this will be fun, a nice little break
from school,” like our winter break but unplanned.
However, it just got longer and longer, plus at first,
we weren’t even doing school or like schoolwork, so
then it went from my thought process being “Oh
fun!” to “Okay…I don’t know about this anymore.”

How did you react at first to the news of the lockdown?

-When the news of lockdown first happened, I wasn’t shocked or surprised, to say the very least.
I had followed along on what transpired with Covid and how high the numbers were getting in
other places, plus other countries were already starting to lockdown. I thought, “Yeah, that’s
probably gonna be us soon.”
However, I didn’t anticipate that lockdown was going to be as long as it is. I guess I just figured
that as a community, the majority got that we needed to do this (as in lockdown everything,
wear masks). Despite this, we now see how that turned out.

What was it like during the third trimester last school year? Were there any difficulties?

I didn’t have any difficulties, though the main issue was that some teachers’ lessons weren’t as
they usually are. Instead, I had to get used to and have gotten used to a little bit.
For the majority of the third trimester last school year, I rather liked how things were. I could go
at my own pace and go back to lessons if needed when completing assignments, plus not
having to wake up early was my favorite part.

What is it like to be a student during the pandemic now?

Being a student during the pandemic right now is stressful. It’s stressful because we are still in a
pandemic and not necessarily “allowed” to have a lot of contact with our peers and connect with
our teachers as we would in person.
Besides relationship, the workload can get a lot at times, with each teacher scheduling quizzes
on the same days and written papers due to the same days with totally different tops, teachers
too each having their set ways to format them.
This stress only seems to builds up with having our home lives being right there in the same
room sometimes.

What do you do during your time outside of class?

Outside of the classroom, I find myself extremely busy, with being “on-call” many times with my
position on the ASB team as Publicity Director, plus in my home life.
I help out a lot around the house with my grandma, like some cooking and some cleaning. Most
of the time, I’m outside of the classroom finishing up assignments for my classes. Occasionally
pretty late into the night hours.

What are some things you miss about in-person learning?

I’ll be honest there isn’t a lot I miss about in-person learning. But if there’s anything I miss the
most is connecting with my friends who I may talk to on social media and the friends who may
not have those types of online connections at the school.
I also miss being able to see different areas. With being at home, I see the same places every
day, nothing changes, but there were many other places to go (even if some look very bland).
What are some things you like about online learning? What are some things you dislike?
I like online learning because the daily schedule is different as classes start later. I also like that
I don’t have to get out of bed if I don’t want to, also I like that there aren’t many rules I can play
music plus eat in class.
What I dislike, though, is that I don’t get to meet new people. With in-person learning, I was able
to make new friends much more quickly. I also dislike there is virtually zero hands-on work
allowed through online education for electives and other classes.

In your opinion, which is better for you: online learning or in-person learning?

I think in-person is better since I like the hands-on works and getting to connect with new people
and see friends of mine. But online has some qualities that make it suitable for me, like waking
up later and being a little more self-paced.

What are some things you are looking forward to during and after this pandemic?

After this pandemic is over, I’m looking forward to going out more often and to some of my usual
hangout spots and some new places I’ve found throughout the pandemic. Also, just being able
to have the freedom to go anywhere and not be scared of whether I’m going to bring home
something to my family

How would you explain how life is during this pandemic to someone 15-20 years from
now?

If I were going to explain how life was to someone years from now, honestly, I’d probably
exaggerate it a bit but still keep it grounded in reality. Almost like, “It was deadly out there the
streets were empty (save for people who had minimal self-preservation skills). Stores closing
down left and right, there wasn’t even toilet paper! This virus was respiratory, mind you…” or
something along those lines.

Do you think the educational system is doing an excellent job of handling the pandemic?
What are some improvements that the district could make?

Yes and no.
I say yes because they believe that they are doing an excellent job of handling this pandemic;
the district is doing what they think is best.
But on the other hand, while I believe in specific ways, they’re doing good, communicating with
students and parents and seeing how we’re doing and working with us to improve our situation
is a place where the district lacks. We want to see more involvement and more feedback.
In terms of improvements, we need transparency and honesty between the school and its
students. Even with the surveys they use to check-in on us, they don’t appear to do anything
with the information we give to them.
Working towards helping us do better and getting students to input and discuss with students is
somewhere we can all improve.

What is something we should all take away from this experience?

Something that I think we should all take away from this is to help and support one another.
Connections make us stronger. Communicating with people, whether physically or through the
internet or giving someone support through tough times, is what’s going to get us through this
pandemic.

How would you explain how life is during this pandemic to someone 15-20 years from
now?
If I were going to explain how life was to someone years from now, honestly, I’d probably
exaggerate it a bit but still keep it grounded in reality. Almost like, “It was deadly out there the
streets were empty (save for people who had minimal self-preservation skills). Stores closing
down left and right, there wasn’t even toilet paper! This virus was respiratory, mind you…” or
something along those lines.