Guest blogger - Annie's reflection on 2020

 January has been busy, but in that quiet, pandemic kind of way. We had a week of remote learning, then we returned to school and all the bustle of homework and lunches and bags of snow gear. Weekends are for cleaning and resting and playing and catching up on work. I haven't been inspired to write much, but Annie agreed to share a paper she wrote for social studies about 2020. So welcome guest blogger, Annie Wernet!

Let’s face it, 2020 stunk. There were highs, and many, many, many, lows. One thing that fits both descriptions is online learning (a.k.a remote learning, distance learning, online school, etc).  During online learning, I got very stressed out and felt like I had to do everything at once and get everything done (my school did not require you to do work, but most kids did the work, like me.). On the bright side, online learning at my school didn’t start until a few weeks after the shutdown. Those first few weeks, my Mom assigned us work. We all had workbooks, and she had us do a project on a country. Something that makes me think of those months at home is the musical Wicked. That’s because we had just started listening to the music when the shutdown started. Another thing that happened over the shutdown was that my sister broke her leg… twice. The first time she was sledding and hit a railroad spike, and the second time she was almost recovered, but she slipped and fell down yet another hill. 

During 2020, God has shown me that things can be very different but exactly the same. Even though everything changed, we still could learn and grow, see friends and family (even over zoom and facetime), and have time outside in nature. We also got to spend more time with family. God has taught me that the more we get used to something, the more we take it for granted (toilet paper, for example). We should look at spending time with others and having more utensils (again, like toilet paper) than we need to survive as a blessing. We need to decide if the things we think we need are actually what we want, like seeing friends or going to the store.

The pandemic has affected my life by changing how I look at things. For example, when I see family, I feel grateful instead of wanting to leave or have time to myself. I also feel like my family is a part of me, they help me learn, and they spend time with me when my friends don’t answer their phones. I can be myself around them. 2020 has also made me feel more grateful for the things I have, like friends, food, family, a strong immune system; instead of the things I want or think I should have.

In 2021, I hope that more people can be vaccinated and we can see others more. I really miss seeing others, sharing things, being able to go places (like the store), and not wearing masks! I hope we can beat Covid-19, and everyone can be safe, but in a way, they can also be with others. 

I think some of the similarities between 2020 and other normal years is that we are still having elections, we are still working and learning, we are still playing outside, and we still communicate with others; even if it’s through a screen. Now, we can go on and on with the differences, but here are just a few. For one thing, WE ARE IN A PANDEMIC! We can’t see that many people, we can’t cough without 10 people checking to make sure you’re safe, and we have to wear masks. Also, we can’t see family, we can’t go to the store (at least not that often), we have to be very careful around our grandparents and other older people, we have to miss out on sports and other activities, and we can’t go anywhere “for fun” without being very careful and wearing masks. 

Our storyline “Diverse, not Different” relates to life in 2020 because although we are not the same people and live different lives, we are all going through the same thing, and having the same experiences. Although we aren’t the same people and don’t have the same lives, we can still share the same thing, just in slightly diverse ways. 2020 relates to “Love your Neighbor” because, like our storyline, we can help others through their struggles, you might be going through the same thing. A very different thing to that is during 2020, we made lots of cookies and other baked goods, and we would share them and little notes with others to make them feel special. Again, 2020 really stunk for the most part, but I think it changed my life in a really good way, and I will never forget the experiences, the feelings, the good times, and the bad.

Annie selfie, 6th grade