Working through the Pandemic

High school is never easy, especially when a global pandemic flips your life upside down.How does a 17-18-year-old student juggle online school, work, and something has traumatic and stressful has a global pandemic? Is this our generations ‘walking uphill both ways through snow and rain for five miles just to get to school’? 

Turner High School is home to many hardworking students, if not always in academics than in athletics or outside work, but the class of 2020- 2023 are being tested this school year with quarantined online school and for some, working during a state and nation-wide stay at home order.

When Kansas governor Laura Kelley announced the stay at home order in mid-March, many seniors have expressed that their thoughts went to graduation and their job.Senior Jeremiah Coleman, who is currently working two jobs, was worried about how him and his family would be protected at their workplaces.

“My younger brother just began working not too long ago,” senior Alissa Shirey said, “he feels as if he has to work or no one else would,” 

Shirey shares her brothers viewpoint on working, even through the changes that all businesses are being forced to undergo for safety.

“There’s a lot more work that goes into our day that differs from two months ago.As a new policy, we also wear masks and gloves to protect customers and ourselves among other cleaning practices,” Shirey said.

With the reopening of states coming up or already started, workers are going to have to be ready to change again, some welcome that though.

Senior Emily Bowline has not been to work since the stay at home order declared for all non-essential businesses to close.

“I was kind of glad because I wasn’t put in harm’s way, and I can keep my family safer,” Bowline said.

While she’s excited to go back to work, Bowline and many others express concern over it being too soon for a safe opening.

“It is a little concerning because some people will want to rush out, but the soft opening really helps prevent that,” senior Jasmine Cerna agrees.

One thing that no one can deny, however, is the supportiveness and understanding of our teachers.

“I’m glad they [teachers] didn’t just drop us and didn’t check up on us,” Coleman said.“I feel like that would’ve made students feel horrible to end the year like that.” 

“I’m working almost 40 hours a week,” Cerna says, “It makes it difficult to keep up with everything…I miss actually having time during class to do work and chat with friends.I miss my teachers who actually made it worth being there.” 

Things have been hard for all us, working or not.As we start to reopen and get back to ‘normal’, let us remember the trauma that this has caused and to be kind.Change always happens after something of this magnitude, but life moves on and we will make it through this.Goodluck next year Turner High School.And good luck to the Class of 2020, boy do we have a story to tell.