Students, staff say being prepared is the key to a successful quarantine

Story by: Jailynn Goforth

The COVID-19 Virus has left our school year different, making students remote learn when quarantined. 

When a student must remote learn there are a few basic essentials they will need in order to be successful while quarantined. A big essential item students said they needed the most was all their supplies for their classes. When Aubrey Jones, art teacher, was asked what she needed, during quarantine, she had a more creative answer than just the regular school supplies. 

“I needed an open mind and willingness to get even more creative,” Jones said. 

As an art teacher, Jones had to find ways to make sure her students were staying active in her class during her absence. Through creativity, she was able to come up with fun projects for her students to complete in the classroom, while she remained in the confines of her home. 

Most of the time when students or staff have been quarantined they are not prepared so making sure they have all of their school work can be difficult.The students have learned to take their work home with them when they leave school so they can be more prepared if they are faced with the situation of being quarantined. 

“My first quarantine was after Thanksgiving break so I didn’t have all my things,” Leah Mueller, so., said. “In my last quarantine I was more prepared and knew where all my online things were.”

A large portion of students and staff members have been quarantined more than once; so they have learned to expect. They have made their workspaces at home fit personal to fit their needs. The most important things to have for a workspace at home is all of a students school work, online and offline. Students and teachers need to be able to zoom into school for remote learning and teaching so having their school laptops and a place to set up comes into play. Teachers have to be able to remote teach their students so being organized is a big part of their workspace. Every workspace is personalized to fit the quarantined person's needs, it involves all the things they need to succeed while being remote. 

The biggest piece of advice the quarantined have is do not procrastinate. Quarantine can be long and lonely also, so students and staff members suggest finding things to do in addition to school work to stay educated and remain active.  

“Take a breath; it will be okay,” Jones said. “Make sure you are doing something daily to interact with people outside of your quarantine.”