As I sit in my make-shift classroom that also happens to be my kitchen, I contemplate this question: do I prefer working at home or school? While staying home “sick” was always a blast–getting to sleep in, watch shows all day, do homework before the three o’clock bell–I now wish I could go back to school. I miss rolling out of bed half awake, putting on my black uniform skirt and white polo as I brush my teeth, while grabbing breakfast, and heading out of the door by 7:45 a.m.
Day one into “working at home,” I thought that it wouldn’t be all that bad. I mean, who doesn’t like doing schoolwork in PJs? I woke up at 9 a.m., had class until 10 a.m., and didn’t have another class until 1 p.m. Looking to the future, there seemed to be so much time on my hands to watch shows, take naps, etc. I was drawn to the idea of home-cooked lunches, sleeping in and no commute. I thought, what is there not to love?
Day by day, however, I’ve realized working from home does not deserve all the hype. In fact, it deserves no hype at all
Day by day, however, I’ve realized working from home does not deserve all the hype. In fact, it deserves no hype at all. It’s hard to stay motivated when your peers aren’t around you. I find I’m more productive during my free periods at school rather than my free periods at home. At school, I could walk to the CEI with a group of friends and we could work on assignments together. But now, I can’t even find the motivation to leave my room. There is no separation between work and leisure time; I could finish an episode of Ozark at 12:55 p.m. and then hop on my Zoom class at 1 p.m.—all while staying put, tucked under my sheets. Although I have now decided I need to actually get out of bed for my own mental wellbeing, I retain the mindset of being at home, causing me to be less motivated and exhausted. While I have managed to stay on top of all my assignments, I’m starting to get unnerved by the lack of stimulation: no more talking to friends, walking around campus, switching from classroom to classroom, etc.
“Working from home gets extremely lonely (especially when you’re working behind a screen all day). As it is said, I can confirm that “we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it.”
Working from home gets extremely lonely (especially when you’re working behind a screen all day). As it is said, I can confirm that “we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it.” While we aren’t necessarily “losing” Marlborough, we lose the face-to-face interactions that put a smile on our faces, the moments when you could walk into a teacher’s office during break and just say “hey.” I’ve begun to cherish the memories of when I would turn to my classmates and smile, or even walk into the senior lounge because I was bored and end up having stimulating conversations. I have no one around me to say, “hey do you want to walk to class together?” I even miss carrying my (what feels like) 100 pound backpack all over campus.
“The Marlborough community is truly like no other. And I would like to thank quarantine for helping me come to this realization.”
The Marlborough community is truly like no other. And I would like to thank quarantine for helping me come to this realization. It’s been days (weeks?) since I interacted face to face with a human who is not related to me, and cabin fever is settling in. I’ve realized that I can’t be my best, most human self in sweatpants, pretending to pay attention on Zoom between trips to the fridge. I’ll obviously stay home as long as authorities advise—but I honestly can’t wait to go back to school (fingers crossed!).
