The coronavirus was like a fire spreading rapidly and leaving devastation in its path. I was a 6th grader who had to attend school through a computer screen. I was unable to see my friends and most of my family. The experience of COVID-19 ruined many aspects of my social life but also allowed me to learn many new things that I did not previously know. As a 6th grader, it was a pivotal time for me to understand how to learn, ways to study, how to take notes, and make friends. The pandemic delayed these opportunities. The pandemic was a prison, trapping me in limitations and restrictions. 

Firstly, school is a really good learning environment that limits distractions so students can learn efficiently. At home, those distractions can be difficult to avoid. You have computers, phones, and controllers at your fingertips. Teachers were unable to stop students from accessing these things in that environment. Being a 6th grader during this time is worse because this year can affect the trajectory of the remaining 2 years of middle school. I unfortunately fell for these distractions. I would log on to the Zoom meeting and I would get distracted with my phone or computer. Usually, I would play different games on my computer or watch YouTube. Although I still completed my work, I was unable to effectively retain the information that I was being taught. One of my worst weaknesses during this time was focusing, something that would not be a problem if it wasn't for COVID-19.

Next, COVID-19 affected my social life outside of school. Before the pandemic, I would say I was a very open and fun kid. Generally, when I was in front of my friends and family, I acted like myself. During the pandemic when I went to see my family, I didn’t feel like myself and every conversation felt awkward to me. I am close to my cousins, but COVID-19 has severely affected my shyness to the point where I feel awkward with them. This resulted in me being very quiet when talking to people. Now I would usually respond to people's questions with pretty short and basic answers. My shyness was like a mask, hiding the real me. This can also be demonstrated during 7th grade, which was the first time I was back in the physical building. Since COVID-19 had critically affected me socially, it was hard to make friends. All my other friends that I already had were not in my classes. This made it extremely difficult for me to get through 7th grade. 

Despite this, there were many things that I was able to learn from COVID-19. One major thing that I learned from this experience is the significance of washing hands. COVID-19 helped me understand the dangers of germs. I now wash my hands substantially more than I used to before the pandemic. Another important thing I learned was regarding family time. Before the pandemic, parents were busy and kids had their school activities. During COVID-19, parents and kids were able to spend time together since everything was closed. This allowed many families to increase their bond with each other and have fun. As someone who values family a lot, this is very important. Some of the activities my family and I did were playing card games, carrom, and different outdoor activities/sports in my backyard. Since my family and I were stuck in the house a lot of the time, we would all watch movies together and spend time with each other that way. I was able to learn a lot from the experiences I had during this time.

COVID-19 ruined many different parts of my life socially and academically, but I also learned many new and different things. This pandemic is an experience that I will never forget and I will always remember how I felt during this time. I now truly understand the importance of good hygiene, academics, social interactions, and family time.