Children photos courtesy of families; Shutterstock.com (all other images)

What a Year!

We asked hundreds of students about one of the most unusual school years ever. Here’s what they had to say.

May 10, 2021

Courtesy Mrs. Reeves

Mrs. Reeves personally delivered Scholastic News to her students!

You might not realize it, but you’re now a part of history. In an unprecedented school year, many schools across the country closed to keep students and teachers safe. Stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of Covid-19 were first announced last spring. Back then, few people could have imagined that schools would be closed for months.

But you rose to the unexpected challenge of learning from home, as your younger siblings made noise in the background. Some of you adjusted to the new rules of in-person school: wearing masks and distancing. And many of you adapted to a mix of both. No matter what, you were resilient and found creative ways to connect and learn. Congratulations! You made it through one of the toughest—and weirdest—school years in history!

You might not realize it, but you’re now a part of history. It has been an unprecedented school year. During this time, many schools across the country closed to keep students and teachers safe. Stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of Covid-19 were first announced last spring. Back then, few people could have imagined that schools would be closed for months.

But you rose to the unexpected challenge of learning from home. You went to class as your younger siblings made noise in the background. Some of you adjusted to the new rules of in-person school. This included wearing masks and distancing. And many of you adapted to a mix of both. No matter what, you were resilient. You found creative ways to connect and learn. Congratulations! You made it through one of the toughest—and weirdest—school years in history.

With more time at home, you started new hobbies, like diamond painting, lacrosse, and coding.

I started 3-D printing. It was so cool that I could print anything! I noticed that glasses would fog up when people wore masks. So I made anti-fog mask clips.

— Noah Lehane, Massachusetts

I started 3-D printing. It was so cool that I could print anything! I noticed that glasses would fog up when people wore masks. So I made anti-fog mask clips.

— Noah Lehane, Massachusetts

I didn’t think doing dance class remotely was possible. My dad didn’t like listening to tap class!

—Elise Young, Washington State

I didn’t think doing dance class remotely was possible. My dad didn’t like listening to tap class!

—Elise Young, Washington State

With more time at home, you started new hobbies, like diamond painting, lacrosse, and coding.

I started 3-D printing. It was so cool that I could print anything! I noticed that glasses would fog up when people wore masks. So I made anti-fog mask clips.

— Noah Lehane, Massachusetts

I started 3-D printing. It was so cool that I could print anything! I noticed that glasses would fog up when people wore masks. So I made anti-fog mask clips.

— Noah Lehane, Massachusetts

I didn’t think doing dance class remotely was possible. My dad didn’t like listening to tap class!

—Elise Young, Washington State

I didn’t think doing dance class remotely was possible. My dad didn’t like listening to tap class!

—Elise Young, Washington State

. . . Among Us was the most downloaded video game of the year.

. . . Bike sales in the U.S. increased by 62 percent.

. . . toy company Hasbro sold over $800 million in games, including Board Games like Monopoly.

Whether Fido was in your lap or Fluffy was chewing on your earbuds, your pets showed up in class—a lot!

My mom was washing my bird’s cage, and my bird jumped out while I was on Zoom. He flew and flew until my mom finally caught him and got him back in his cage.

—Ximena Navia-Zepeda, California

My mom was washing my bird’s cage, and my bird jumped out while I was on Zoom. He flew and flew until my mom finally caught him and got him back in his cage.

—Ximena Navia-Zepeda, California

Whether Fido was in your lap or Fluffy was chewing on your earbuds, your pets showed up in class—a lot!

My mom was washing my bird’s cage, and my bird jumped out while I was on Zoom. He flew and flew until my mom finally caught him and got him back in his cage.

—Ximena Navia-Zepeda, California

My mom was washing my bird’s cage, and my bird jumped out while I was on Zoom. He flew and flew until my mom finally caught him and got him back in his cage.

—Ximena Navia-Zepeda, California

Some of you logged in from parks, beaches, restaurants, and campsites—with surprising results!

I was outside during a Zoom meeting, and the sprinklers went off and I got soaked!

—Ryan Goode, Texas

I was outside during a Zoom meeting, and the sprinklers went off and I got soaked!

—Ryan Goode, Texas

Some of you logged in from parks, beaches, restaurants, and campsites—with surprising results!

I was outside during a Zoom meeting, and the sprinklers went off and I got soaked!

—Ryan Goode, Texas

I was outside during a Zoom meeting, and the sprinklers went off and I got soaked!

—Ryan Goode, Texas

Technical glitches were something many of you learned to deal with this year.

My teacher’s power went out, and she disappeared in the middle of a lesson. “You are now the host” popped up on my zoom screen. The chat went wild. I saw how crazy it would be to be a teacher in a pandemic. I was so glad when Mrs. Tilicki was back!

—Kelsey Glud, Arizona