Our principal got caught up in the debate over masking. Now, I sympathize with him.
Even after the mandate was lifted, I kept my face covered at school. Here’s why.
After learning online in eighth grade, I chose blended learning for my freshman year at Beacon High School. I only had to go in person one day a week, and during the rest of the week, my classes were held remotely. I soon learned it didn’t really make sense to go once a week since other students were learning remotely, and teachers came in just to sit in a classroom and teach on Zoom. Still, I kept on with the hybrid schedule.
I finally went back to school full-time at the beginning of my sophomore year in September 2021. My principal stood at the entrance each morning to welcome us, and he seemed happy to be there.
I had to fight the urge to pull down my mask when socializing; at times, I felt masking made it hard to connect with others. I thought I wasn’t making friends quickly enough in high school and wondered if masks contributed to that.