2 minute read
Diary Entries
Bridget Reidy Dundon
21/11/2020
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Looking back now, I realise why I hated my first day of school this year so much. It was extremely difficult. I mean, now I can see why in a different light. I’m used to it. It isn’t that bad. Walking into school that first day everything was different. I mean, I spent my first two years in my secondary school mixing with the other years, being able to hug my friends, doing group projects in class. But now that wasn’t the same. I had to wear a mask (which was fine, I felt so much safer doing so!), constantly had to hand sanitise, sanitise my desk before and after use, and I was alone at my desk a metre between the
people around me on each side. At first, the isolation was nice, I mean, I didn’t have to worry about someone bugging me all class to chat. But then, after a few weeks I began to feel sad. I wasn’t able to do group projects. I wasn’t able to move seats to sit near a close friend, or away from someone I wasn’t really thrilled to sit near. Everything was so restricted.
You know, my school has only had once case. And it was a teacher. So we’re doing something right. We’re being as safe as we can be in a time that’s extremely difficult to navigate. It’s not easy. It’s extremely hard to not be able to talk to the first years and help them in their journey to settle in and transition to a new school.
an activity that I truly loved to do; Debating. I debated a bit in primary school, and I did the Soapbox competition last year. I dipped in and out of the debate club but I forgot about the
meetings and spent my lunchtimes doing something else that didn’t really matter. But now that I didn’t really have as much to do, I had time to rekindle my love of debate and public speaking. I do debating in school and it’s really, really fun. I really enjoy it. It can be hard speaking in front of a group of people but it’s actually really fun. I mean, I get to talk and learn about things I didn’t really learn or dare to think about before and I get to hear about both sides! I really enjoy that. Being back in school has been tough, but it’s had its pros. I mean, we gotta get on with life some way or another. We gotta adapt and overcome.
