Back to School in a Pandemic

By Mary Todd Gordon

If you are no longer in school, have you wondered what it is like to receive an education in the middle of a pandemic? Four of our youth group members graciously agreed to let me interview them so that we could get a closer look at what their experiences have been like, their victories and challenges, and the lessons they have learned since the pandemic began. I don’t know about you, but the Lord really used some of their words as gentle reminders to me to keep pressing on, to keep doing the next right thing, and that He has the rest taken care of. Dear church, let’s all live like today is our last day, loving people as hard as we can, enjoying the small moments, and sharing the Good News of Christ as if it is the only thing left to say. This is a tough time, I know, but we don’t get to be here long so there is no time to waste.

Henry Fyke, 8th Grade
Starkville Christian School

“My experience returning to in-person school has been a good one so far. I am so glad that in-person school is back. I would say one of my biggest victories has been that I have gotten to see my friends again. However, one of the hardest parts has been getting back into a routine of going to sleep early and waking up early. In my opinion, this pandemic has been mostly a bad thing, but I believe good has come from it and will continue to. This has pushed us to find more ways to do school and life in general. 

I hope and pray it will end soon, but until then, we should all try to find the silver linings. My grandfather, Tommy Tomlinson, has been helpful in easing the ups and downs caused by these abnormal circumstances. My friends Dean Luke Lockhart and Houston Tehan have also helped make things feel more normal just by hanging outside together. Golf, hunting, and fishing have been a God-send during this pandemic. One lesson I have learned is that we need to look at things on the positive side instead of giving the negative side so much attention. We should look at things as being a glass half full instead of a glass half empty. Another lesson I have learned is that God will always stay with us even through tough times like these.”

Caleb Edelblute, 11th Grade
Starkville High School

“My experience has been great so far. I have had the chance to see my friends again and that has been huge for me since the last time I saw them was in March. I also enjoy that the school is not as crowded as it would be at full capacity. I have enjoyed the smaller classes I am in. In fact, at the beginning of the year, I only had three other students in my class. Some victories I have experienced are being able to spend more time with my family. Even though my parents worked at home during the stay-at-home order, it was nice to see them working from home and to be able to have all five of us around the dinner table every night. Prior to COVID-19, we weren’t at the dinner table at the same time due to all of our extracurricular activities. With those being canceled, our evenings looked a lot different and I really enjoyed that change of pace.

So far I have not come across many hard parts with the transition. I’m still not able to see some of my friends since they chose to do school virtually. I am also hoping that I will not have to go virtual because it will be very difficult to learn the material outside the classroom on a screen. I learn much better in person.

Gracie Parrish, 12th Grade
Starkville Academy

“This fall, I returned to school in-person as a senior at Starkville Academy. As a result of COVID-19, a normal school day now consists of wearing masks the entire day, eating lunch in the classrooms, and only seeing about a third of my grade. Even though things have been incredibly different, I am so grateful for the opportunity to return to school in-person. I love being able to see my friends daily and being taught by my teachers face-to-face. Some personal accomplishments I have had throughout the pandemic are that I have learned how to better manage my time and prioritize what is most important to me, which is my relationships. Not being able to see the people I love for a long time made me realize how we really can’t take the short amount of time we have with each other for granted; and that we should be so intentional with our time with one another.

The hardest parts of the effects of COVID-19 on my daily life are not being able to interact as much with people or attend certain events. There is so much you look forward to about senior year, but as a result of the pandemic, it looks a bit different than we imagined. However, everyone has done their best to make it as normal as possible, while keeping us safe and healthy.  My opinion on the pandemic as a whole, is the Lord is testing our nation’s faith. James 1:3 says, “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” I have constantly reminded myself of this verse since the beginning of the pandemic. COVID-19 has definitely been a trial for all. We don’t know how to stop it or how long it will last, and we have no idea what the future holds. All we can do is put our faith in God, who holds all the answers.

The Lord has been teaching me multiple lessons since this all started. The biggest being, no matter how much power someone holds or how intelligent they are, in the grand scheme of things, they’re not the ones in control. The Lord is sovereign over all. Many people look to doctors and politicians for answers and become frustrated when they don’t find what they are looking for. This is because they are looking for answers from the wrong source. Everything is constantly changing in this world right now, from research to peoples’ opinions, but the only thing that is steadfast is God’s love and faithfulness. He always has and always will be the same loving Father, who has a greater plan than any of us could ever imagine. We may not understand it, but the great news is that we don’t have to. All we have to do is trust Him, the creator of the universe.”

Connor Davis, 12th Grade
Starkville High School

“Honestly, the zoom meetings felt very different than regular school when it first started. When we were finally allowed back into the school, it felt different too because you still wondered when and if COVID-19 would make its way around the school and you had the feeling that you might get it. During all of this, I saw that it was a good time to focus on myself and God and see what His plans are for me. The hardest parts were definitely when we couldn’t go anywhere and we missed out on seeing friends and family. It also was hard to learn online. Even though we were in zoom classes all the time, it didn’t feel like an actual class. I think that experiencing a pandemic is something I would have never thought about. As we go through this, I think to myself that there is a reason for it and it will all come out good in the end. We just have to keep a positive outlook to keep going. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is patience. When you can’t do anything with anyone, you are just at your house all of the time. I had to learn “this too shall pass” and that was challenging to wait on things to change. Another lesson I have learned is to spend more quiet time with God. This is a horrible time right now, but it is one of the best times to talk to God to find out what He wants us to do.”