July 11, 2022
How Masks Changed My School Experience
By Lisa Herforth-Hebbert
Wearing a mask in high school is annoying, but it makes me feel safe. My biggest fear is reliving the nightmare that began in March 2020.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this article was originally published by Youth Communications and is reposted here with permission. YC is a nonprofit publisher of teen-written stories and curriculum to help educators strengthen the social and emotional skills of youth.
After one year of online learning in eighth grade, I chose blended learning for my freshman year at Beacon High School in New York City. For one day a week, I would be learning in-person, and the rest of the week my classes were held remotely. Eventually, I learned that it didn’t really make sense to go in at all, since my teachers would have to teach through Zoom for the other students that were still taking the classes online.
But when I began my sophomore year in September, I finally went back to school full-time. My principal stood at the entrance of the building each morning to welcome us, and he seemed happy to be there. When I returned, I had a somewhat harder time getting to know my fellow students, and at times felt that it was hard to connect to my peers. I had to fight the urge to pull down my mask when socializing.
I thought I wasn’t making friends quickly enough in high school, and I wondered if masks contributed to that. Eventually, I met more people once I joined extracurricular activities, like the Step Club, the Black Student Union, and the Guitar Lessons Club. It was occasionally annoying to be masked during all of these activities—like when I wanted to express emotions or even just breathe after a hard workout. During lunch, which was the only time during the day that school felt truly normal, we were able to pull down our masks to eat and I made a few more friends.
