“I want to go back to school” is a statement that most students never imagined themselves and their peers uttering. 

     Back in the day, snow days meant building snowmen and sledding. Now students starting the new semester online are feeling the pain of remembrance with Covid flashbacks. 

Who wants to remember that? The Knight Times staff sure doesn’t. 

Meeting new semester teachers online and sitting on our Chromebooks all day has the student population yearning for a good, old snow day.

Well can all agree that a week on these meets once again invokes scarily similar feelings of the pandemic-crippling isolation era. 

So here we sit, somehow, probably for the first time ever, no longer excited for snow days.

What has happened to us? We used to be a proper society.

Stop your doom scrolling because we reached out to some of your peers at home in an effort to prove you are not, in fact, alone. Let’s see what some of our Knights have been up to!

Name: Mrs. Nickels
Department: Science
Classes: AP Physics, Academic Physics, FUNdamentals of Physics

1. How have you been structuring your day from waking up to logging off? What was the biggest ‘non-school’ thing you did while technically in class?
After I’m done “waking up” I check and double check and triple check to make sure everything is posted that students need throughout the day. Then I meet with students for 7 periods. Then lately, I have been preparing plans for the next day.
2. How does your ‘home classroom’ environment change your focus compared to a traditional school day? Are there specific distractions—or comforts—that make the work easier or harder to finish?”
I don’t feel like I teach efficiently or effectively from home or even if I am in school and teaching remotely. Sitting so long in one place is hard on my old body. My dog is the biggest distraction.
3. How are you and your colleagues staying connected during the school day?
There is a lot of empathic texting that takes place before and after school.
4. Do you prefer having to do work now to save your summer, or would you rather have a traditional ‘no-work’ snow day even if it means school lasts longer? Why? Has this changed as the week goes on?
I would prefer to use the make-up days we have in the calendar before switching to this mode of learning. I teach an AP/CHS class and have deadlines to meet and it is hard with this modality.
5. What else have you missed out on because of the weather? 
I miss face to face contact with my students and co-workers.
6. Anything else to add?
I cannot emphasize enough how much I dislike this modality of teaching and learning.

Name: Lily Crowley
Grade: 12

1. How have you been structuring your day from waking up to logging off? What was the biggest ‘non-school’ thing you did while technically in class?”
I’ve been waking up, eating breakfast, feeding my cats/dogs, watching our fire, watching TV, and playing guitar. Then I get on classes. I crocheted a bag during class while watching a show.
2. How does your ‘home classroom’ environment change your focus compared to a traditional school day? Are there specific distractions—or comforts—that make the work easier or harder to finish?”
I am very distracted and unmotivated. I have trouble doing my work, and I don’t like sitting all day.
3. How are you and your friends staying connected during the school day?
We text back and forth and call sometimes. I play video games after school with some of them.
4. Do you prefer having to do work now to save your summer, or would you rather have a traditional ‘no-work’ snow day even if it means school lasts longer? Why? Has this changed as the week goes on?
I would rather do work now. It’s less work than a normal school day, and I get to sleep in a little bit. It has not changed.
5. What else have you missed out on because of the weather? 
I had to reschedule a job interview.

Name: Talon Smith
Grade: 11

1. How have you been structuring your day from waking up to logging off? What was the biggest ‘non-school’ thing you did while technically in class?”
I have been waking up about 15 minutes before class giving myself just enough time to get ready for class. The biggest non-school thing I did while in class was eat.
2. How does your ‘home classroom’ environment change your focus compared to a traditional school day? Are there specific distractions—or comforts—that make the work easier or harder to finish?”
I feel like I am more focused while working at home, so I can get the work done and have more time to myself. It is hard always having my phone right there, but I use it as a reward for finishing all of my work.
3. How are you and your friends staying connected during the school day?
I usually am on the phone with someone at least once a day just to check in on everything.
4. Do you prefer having to do work now to save your summer, or would you rather have a traditional ‘no-work’ snow day even if it means school lasts longer? Why? Has this changed as the week goes on?
I would rather do my work now, because we already have a long enough school year without extra makeup days. This has not changed at all.
5. What else have you missed out on because of the weather? 
I have had a swim meet cancelled, but we did get more time to practice, so when we make it up we will be ready.
6. Anything else to add?
This online experience has been great for me.

Name: Makenna Klutschkowski
Grade: 10th

1. How have you been structuring your day from waking up to logging off? What was the biggest ‘non-school’ thing you did while technically in class?” I wake up mid to last second, at 9am. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on deodorant. I put on an outfit that I don’t care about and join the meet. And then I eat a cookie for breakfast.
I get on my phone and watch reels. Probably. Yeah.
2. How does your ‘home classroom’ environment change your focus compared to a traditional school day? Are there specific distractions—or comforts—that make the work easier or harder to finish?” I feel like it changes it a lot. Our kitchen is getting redone so I hear drilling throughout my classes. And then, my dog is afraid of them so she keeps barking. She ran into my room the other day.
3. How are you and your friends staying connected during the school day? I facetime and call my friends and work on assignments with them.
4. Do you prefer having to do work now to save your summer, or would you rather have a traditional ‘no-work’ snow day even if it means school lasts longer? Why? Has this changed as the week goes on? I think I would rather do it online because I just want it to be summer. Even though I love snow days.
5. What else have you missed out on because of the weather?  I missed going to the fitness center with my friend, I miss being able to communicate with all my friends person-to-person.
6. Anything else to add? Being in school with a two hour delay is my preference. I feel like I’m trapped in the house.

Name: Connor Weiland
Grade: 9

1. How have you been structuring your day from waking up to logging off? What was the biggest ‘non-school’ thing you did while technically in class?”
I fell asleep during lunch
2. How does your ‘home classroom’ environment change your focus compared to a traditional school day? Are there specific distractions—or comforts—that make the work easier or harder to finish?
It’s easier because there’s way less work than normal school days
3. How are you and your friends staying connected during the school day?
We are texting each other in the middle of class
4. Do you prefer having to do work now to save your summer, or would you rather have a traditional ‘no-work’ snow day even if it means school lasts longer? Why? Has this changed as the week goes on?
I wish we had just normal snow days because I just want to sleep
5. What else have you missed out on because of the weather? 
Couldn’t get to my male cheer practice because of all the snow in my driveway