After more than a year-and-a-half of Covid-19 intruding on our school life, we are finally experiencing a normal high school experience. Sophomores and freshmen are able to take part in a lot of new activities in the high school; juniors and seniors are able to enjoy some of the things they were once able to do before the pandemic. 

As well, we are all learning in-person. Throughout remote schooling, we missed a lot of clubs, activities and communication between friends. What’s doubly unfortunate is that our skills of procrastination have gotten worse. Now that we’ve gotten back to school, some are overwhelmed with the work they haven’t done in almost two years. 

While talking to a peer, 10th grader Maia Kramer, I asked them about how they felt about coming back to school. They said, “It’s a big change, and I’m starting to like it more and more again.” I, personally, couldn’t agree more. 

While talking to 10th grade student Justin Greenbaum, who was remote all of last year, he stated, “Being in in-person school is way more involved than I remember, and after being online, it’s much different.” On how it feels being able to see his friends and peers in-person again, Justin said, “It’s nice to actually be able to see people, especially people I’m close with.” Being able to see people again is so important for growing teenagers; communicating with friends and teachers helps us learn and be happier. 

How can we solve this issue of getting used to school again? One strategy to help us get our work done is to use a planner or to-do list; as well, it may be helpful to organize your work in order of due date from most recent to farthest away. Having a to-do list may seem small, but it can be incredibly helpful (you can even make a to-do list on Post-Its or index cards). 

For some, it may be hard to work up the discipline to organize, though you can motivate yourself by listening to your favorite music; what’s even better is to come up with a sort of reward system, such as indulging in your favorite sweets. By sorting your homework, worksheets, and notes, you can better understand where things are located and can get them done easier without worry. In the beginning, these techniques may be difficult to implement, though once you get into a rhythm, it will become far more normal.