From a student perspective, a senior at Norwalk High School, watching her precious high school experiences turn virtual, I can say with full confidence that we are taking this pretty hard. Students have a lack of motivation, a completely baffled sleep schedule, and a lot of confusion about how or when life will pick back up post-Corona.

To all teachers, please understand that this is not because of you, and that we, as students feel for you. As the bell rings and class is dismissed, you no longer see the smiling faces, or friendly waves and “goodbyes” of your students. Instead, online school has turned this friendly interaction into, “John Smith has left the Meet.”

Amongst the sea of flowers, letters, and various sports team logos as profile pictures, in many classes only one face can be seen. That is the smiling face of the teacher, who is doing their best to keep us motivated, keep our brains active, and keep us afloat during this pandemic.

Teachers, now more than ever, are heroes. Every day they come to work, whether it be in their classroom or their living room, ready to try and create some sense of normalcy for us. Recently, I have heard the phrases, “This will pass,” or “We’ll all be together again soon, just hang in there.” These one-second little pep talks motivate me to look at the future with a hopeful vision.

But, as I hear my teacher say these things, I wonder: who is motivating them? It must be hard to stare at a screen, know students are on the other side, but have to practically pull a response or a live screen out of them. We often talk about how some teachers are giving too much work, and how we often feel overwhelmed. What about the teachers who are going easier on students, when we have no idea what’s going on in their personal lives due to the pandemic?

Bottom line is that there is no one group of people taking this harder than the next. Teachers and students are both incredibly strong groups of people at this point in time, and when the history books write about 2020, that will surely be included. But, while we complain about having to turn the camera on, remember the teacher on the other side of the screen, put yourself in their shoes, and give them a smile when you get the chance.