November 11, 2020

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things: After a long Spring Break

By: Kaleigh Meador

If you’re a college student, you know how weird and difficult last spring was. Last year college students’ spring semester was unexpectedly cut short. Students spent spring break packing up, beginning online classes, and going into quarantine. Now that West Texas A&M students are back after an extra long spring break, getting back into the swing of things could be difficult. Some students traveled back to their hometowns while some stayed here in small town, Canyon, Texas.

Students returned home for many reasons. “It was more economical,” says Itzel Gaytan, Communication Disorder Major, when telling about her reasoning for moving back home. Itzel feels that some classes became harder while others she benefited from them being moved online last semester.

Itzel answered when asked how she is staying organized in the challenging times. She appreciates the connections and hands-on learning that a classroom has to offer. Itzel took a summer 2 class that helped her get back into the rhythm of school. Similar to most students, she has mixed feelings about learning during COVID 19, yet she prefers in person classes over online learning.

While some students longed to be back in a classroom, others considered making the switch to online classes indefinitely. Brad Carlton, Criminal Justice Major, made the decision to take his last two semesters online. He enjoyed the flexibility in scheduling that online learning provides. “The hardest part has been getting out of that spring break mindset” Brad says. He agrees that we had an extra long spring break. Brad works night shifts and noticed that his grades and time management benefitted from online school. Like Itzel, he took a summer course to keep himself in a routine.

Very few students shared the same feelings about on-line learning with Brad. Imagine having to take the hardest classes in your degree plan online. Shaye Youngblood, Agriculture Communications Major, says...

Shaye made the choice to move home at the beginning of spring break, when COVID 19 cancelled classes. The virus turned spring break into her being home for 6 months. Shaye feels that her largest obstacle has been keeping track of when she's supposed to be on campus or on Zoom.

While all students have their opinions on our long spring break and the “new normal”, I think we can all agree that getting back into the groove of things after a long spring break is challenging. The rollercoaster of learning in person, school being strictly online, and now finally having a choice, gave us new ways of learning and managing our lives on and off campus.