Barely being able to open his eyes at 8:55 a.m., he grabs his chromebook from the edge of his bed and forces himself to log on to class. He can hear the students talking among themselves from the Google Meet and quickly turns the volume down. While the teacher goes through another set of notes, he falls asleep waking up to the sound of the school bell and  realizes the teacher is the only one left on the Meet.

COVID-19 has affected students all over the world. Online learning and social isolation crucially impact students’ learning habits and social skills. The virus has either caused a complete lack of motivation, or inspired students to work harder than usual.

“Honestly, COVID affected me by lowering my overall care of school,” freshman Axel Guerra said, “mostly because I could die at anytime and I don’t want to die doing math.”

While some students lost their inspiration and will for school, other students took the global pandemic as a reason to step up and strengthen their motivation and determination.

“COVID-19 has not decreased my motivation for learning. If anything, I am more encouraged to  do better in order to overcome this challenge,” freshman Isabella McCord said, an on-campus student who once was a remote student.

Having to take COVID-19 precautions, the school enforces social distancing rules and the use of wearing masks.

“Wylie East High School has regulated the spread of COVID-19 exceptionally, although the school’s hallways during passing periods are always crowded, which the school can’t mostly control due to the amount of students,” McCord said.

Overall, COVID-19 has made some sort of impact on students’ everyday lives, whether positive or negative. Though it may take some time before getting back to normal, it is best recommended to continue taking necessary precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.

 “These precautions don’t bother me because I know it’s for all of our safety,” McCord said. “We must do what we need to do to get through these tough times.”