In the Meantime- Quarantine Journals

INSIDE 6th Grade Trip

ISSUE 1

The M iddle school j our nalists will be documenting our exper iences under quar antine. They will be inter viewing classmates, parents, and teacher s as well as shar ing thoughts on their own exper iences. Please enj oy these slices-of-life dur ing this weir d, challenging time.

Alex Pool Student: Chloe Agostini is an 8th grade student at Miami Country Day. Online school is a big change and she notices that everyone is still adapting to it.

And, it's new and nothing like we have done before. A good part of online school, she adds, is being at home and with her family. Outside of online school, everyone has a lot of free time. That means it is a good time to find new hobbies. Chloe says she has found many new things to do just by looking online for ideas. Something Chloe was really excited for was Spring Break because she was going away with friends, but the virus stopped that and she was looking forward to it. Chloe explains, ?I have realized that I miss school, even though I really thought I would never miss school, but I really miss school. And my friends.?

Parent:

?At the beginning, it was not that easy because I need to continue working,? said Monica Martinez, the mother of 7th grader Maya Tafur. ?From home, sometimes the internet is slow or I lose connection. Adapting from the office environment to home, and also dealing with the stress to buy all the items needed for this period was a little bit hard. Now, we are adapting and working properly.?

She will use her free time to do yoga, meditate, read, and cook. She has also used her time to take online classes. She thinks MCDS is adapting well, and it's been smooth and easy. She says that it has given Maya time to do homework with concentration. She thinks human contact, freedom of traveling, and enjoying spaces without limitations is something very important to have but we don't have right now during this time.

Teacher : Laura Abreu-Grondin, an 8th grade science teacher at Miami Country Day, found online school a big change. There are lotts of projects and assignments she can still do, but not all. The final project she wanted her students to do, she is not sure they can do anymore. And now that there is a change to being in online school, Ms. Abreu realizes the big

Parent: Raquel Haw, the mother of 7th grader Alba Haw, describes how she was adapting to the new changes. She said, ?It wasn?t a big adjustment. I

Per sonal: My name is Alex Pool, and I am a student in the 8th grade. By the second semester, school got challenging for me, and there became a lot of work. I was looking forward to the break coming up. Once I heard that the Coronaviirus was giving us an extra week I didn't think much of it. I assumed I would be going back shortly after. Now, it's hard to know when we are going back. I took advantage of being at school. It's only been 2-3 weeks but it's felt like 2-3 months. I have tried to do new things like cooking, practicing the language I am taking which is French, and fitness.

I can't sit still so I have tried to keep myself busy. I also have been communicating with friends. I have already had my first full day of classes and it is a big change.

Maya Tafur Martinez

Per sonal: The first day of quarantine was the most crucial experience throughout these past few weeks of having to rely on the word home as a safe haven. All I could remember of that day is the paranoia I had for my fellow colleagues, friends, and family that live out of the country. I also couldn?t bear the thought of staying home for more than a month with having 12 and not having the no contactPage with anyone capability to step outside. I personally believe that I have adjusted to the new circumstances of having to stay indoors at all causes. I have found activities to do such as reading a book, drawing, finding a new show to watch, and staying in touch with my friends by phone. Some new things that I have learned by using all this available free time to find difficult and challenging recipes to prepare. I was always a fan of cooking, but now I have more of a chance of creating new dishes that are quite the challenge to complete. The best feeling of doing so is when you finally finish the product and get to sit down and enjoy a meal you made with the ones you love the most. I found the online school an easy process and I personally have to say that it is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. The only bad part about it is that you don?t get to see your friends that are not in any of your classes. The major thing that I miss the most and think we all took for granted is the ability to step outside and enjoy the fresh air and socializing is also one thing I miss the most.

difference from being in class to online school.

One of the differences is how she is not able to go over to a student and help. Also, being able to just talk to a student in person is easier than online.

Both of which she misses. Now with a big change, everyone realizes how much of a difference there is and what they miss.

basically work inside all day. The one time that I have free time, I like to watch football.?

Mrs. Haw discussed new activities she does in her free time. She stated, ?I like baking, writing, and doing at-home workouts.? She also explained that she learned something with her free time and that was learning a little bit of French. Her thoughts of the online school were that she likes online school because it is so great, and that she gets some time to work in the mornings. She also thinks that the process is very smooth and she is familiar with it due to work. One of the things she says she misses that she can?t do now is running and going to the gym.

Student: Alba Haw can add on to what her mother said that she and her family have adapted well with the new circumstances, but at first, it was a bit challenging and difficult to get the hang of not leaving the house. Alba also said that she loves to dance and that is what she likes to do in her free time.

She also said, ?My ballet teacher is even using Zoom to teach us ballet from home.?

Something new Alba has learned is to bake. ?I?m actually really bad at cooking, but recently, my dad and I tried a new brownie recipe.? Alba says that the transition to regular school to online school was very smooth and wasn?t that difficult to get the hang of. Lastly, Alba says, ?What I miss the most was going outside and being able to see my friends.?

Teacher :

Mr. Fallik, one of the teachers in the middle school, also has something to add on about this. He says, ?I think that I have adapted pretty well,? and the only problem of staying home all the time is finding things to do to keep him preoccupied. When he is bored he says, ?I try to go on nice long walks to get out of the house.?

He also says he enjoys cooking, reading, and watching a lot Netflix. Something he learned was the use of Zoom and how to make it the best experience for the students. Mr. Fallik says that the school did a good job to make the transition to online school a smooth and easy process. He appreciates that the school researched other schools all over the country to find the best way to do online school for the best students learning experience.

David Bejar Per sonal: The time we are going through currently is unprecedented, it is like a war against an invisible enemy. Yet, a time like this is a great time to learn new things about yourself, teach others, find new hobbies, cook, and spend time with your family. I have started to learn things about myself, such as I really enjoy sleeping, playing video games, and watching Netflix.

When I asked Mrs. Rodriguez her opinion on the current situation, she said ?This is the way it should be. I almost wish it were more stringent so that not so many people are still around in the street. This is the answer to this pandemic. It will definitely slow down what is going on.

While in this shelter-in-place Mrs. Rodriguez has been cross stitching, which is an embroidery style that consists of making small crosses in thread on special fabric. She also mentioned that she has watched the Game of Thrones series, Spanish-language movies, the series ?Counterpart?, the series ?Unorthodox?, and she has read four books. Like many other people Mrs. Rodriguez has spent more time cooking. For example she has made apple pie and chocolate cake.

Student:

Teacher :

Seventh grader Colin Freeman also has watched some movies on Netflix, he recommended Sandy Wexler, the Grown-ups series, and Invincible.

Colin has watched lots of Youtube videos. He recommended some content creators who focus on basketball such as Jesser, Kristopher London, TKS, and Mopi.

Parent: Darrah Gilderman, a Miami Country Day mother, thinks this is a great time to teach others, Mrs. Gilderman has done exactly that by teaching meditation. Mrs. Gilderman has watched a tv show called Ozark.

As we look for a silver lining during a difficult period, enjoying time with our family and doing things we don?t normally do because of our busy lives may be a silver lining that brings joy to many.

Angelina Belin

a restaurant at home or cook for people at home. It is going to be hard for people who can't work from home. They don't get any money for a certain period, and that might be hard on some people.

Student:

"Maybe after corona the companies will let people work from home because they will see that they can work from home,? said Ms. Rosas Molina.

This would be great for people who have kids or just don't want to be in an office."

Melissa Brauer, a sixth-grader at Miami country, said, "I'd rather be at school with my friends, instead of being stuck at home." Now that there is the Covid-19, everything has changed from going to school to not being allowed to go outside. Being stuck inside is not fun and is boring.

Melissa Brauer says, "All that I have been doing is going on my phone, binge watching movies, and sleeping." People should be out with their friends and out at school, but quarantine is holding them back,? she said. ?The kids that go to school probably didn't like going to school, but now they are realizing that going to school is better than staying at home and doing nothing. Everybody hopes that quarantine will end and not go till the summer."

If this keeps on going until June, then Melissa will be very sad because her birthday is in June, and she doesn?t want to spend her birthday sitting in bed eating cake. She would rather be out on a jet ski or at a restaurant. During this time, she has been texting and video chatting with her friends.

Per sonal: Coronavirus has been going through my head every day. Quarantine is making me so bored. I am tired of staying at home every day. I would rather be at school or out with my friends. The coronavirus is making it hard for everyone to keep up with their friends and school. When I am on the road on my way to go grocery shopping at Publix with my dad there is no one on the streets. It looked like we were driving through a ghost city. When I stepped

out of my car dressed in basically pajamas, I saw a huge line that went all the way to the car parking garage.

My dad and I didn't want to wait in that long line, so we went to Whole Foods. We went inside and were lucky that there weren't a lot of people. There were no more eggs or milk left. There was basically nothing in the store. We got the last huge roll of toilet paper then went to go pay for our things. We got a lot of the things that we needed to have at home. When we went outside we saw the same huge line that we saw at Publix. We were lucky that we came early.

When we were driving home there was no one on the street. We got home, and I didn't know what I should do. I called all of my friends and asked if they wanted to hang out with me today, but they said that their parents won't let them out because of the coronavirus. I sat down and went on my phone.

I got tired of always watching movies and being on my phone. Coronavirus has affected my life in so many different ways. Since all of the tennis courts are closed, and no one has any tennis courts that we can use, my dad has been making me run 5k every day. I have also done some new things while I have been at home. One new thing that I have done is making ramen noodles in the package. I hope Coronavirus stops soon so everything can go back to normal.

Parent: "Things have changed a lot,? said Anayansi Rosas Molinall, a parent of Natalia Fernandez at Miami Country Day. ?For example, I used to work in an office but now I work from home every day", Things are now different for people who work in an office or a restaurant and the people who can work from home are very lucky because you can't make

Chloe Shapiro Per sonal: The quarantine hasn?t been very fun. My life has changed a lot because of this pandemic. There are times when I get extremely bored. I?ve taught myself a couple of new things. I made some really good Rice Krispee Treats with chocolate filled in them and a chocolate fudge cake. My family enjoyed it very much. I still miss sitting at my desk in school and writing down my notes like it used to be. I?ve learned that everything is going to become different now, and this will be a part of my life that I will remember and tell the story when I'm older. I still contact my friends, because our friendship was created at school. I watch shows, bake, and do my online school.

Student: ?During this quarantine, I have been doing arts & crafts, playing with my brother and my family,

baking, watching TV, and playing board games,? said sixth grader Evelyn Kunde. ?Even though we shouldn?t be going outside, I have been going in the pool, going on walks and bike rides, and occasionally going on a small run around my neighborhood.? She said that sometimes she gets really bored during quarantine, and it has resulted in her sometimes just walking around having no idea what to do.

Like many others, she misses going to school, but this is how it is and she can?t complain.

Teacher : ?Work has been very different because of this pandemic,? said Susanna Linfield, a sixth-grade English teacher. ?One of the things that I find quite interesting is that I find online school much more tiring. I find that it takes a lot of energy to keep everyone engaged on the screen. I am also doing a lot of one-on-one commenting on student?s work and I?ve noticed that that takes quite a long

Before corona, there was much more smoke in the air, but now since everyone is staying inside there has been less pollution. Mabey corona will help us be more cautious about what we do,? she explained. ?Now that everybody is staying inside there won't be that much gas and other chemicals in the air." I hope after Corona Everybody can meet back up with their friends and family."

Teacher : "I have had a very good experience with Zoom,? said Mrs. Holcman, a teacher at Miami Country Day. Some teachers have already been using Zoom before the coronavirus broke out. Mrs. Holcman has taught online classes over Zoom before. Since some teachers have had experience with online it hasn't been such a struggle to change from being in a building seeing kids face to face to being online with the kids on the screen.

"My house and my closet are very organized since I have all this free time,? said Mrs. Holcman. ?During this free time stuck at home, you could do a lot of spring cleaning and organizing."

In the last week, I have walked about 30 miles."

Everybody should go outside and take a walk at least three times a week. "I would like all of us to be together at the end of the year.'' Miami country day as a community hopes all of this will be over so we can go back to school and celebrate the last week of school with all of our peers and teachers.

time. Although it is nice to be able to walk around in my garden for a little while or take some time on an art piece I have been working on. When I teach I am very physical, I like to get up and make gestures with my hands and all sorts of stuff, and I find that I can?t do that with online school."

Parent: Helen Kunde, a middle school parent and administrator said, ?As a parent, I have deep concerns about this pandemic. I am very thankful that my family is able to stay safe during all of this.? Ms. Kunde added, ?I am glad that I get more time to spend with my children. When regular school is in session, the school days are longer and we also have activities out of school.

So, in the absence of those, we do have a lot more time together. I think a challenge of that is since online school has resumed, we are all on different schedules throughout the course of the day, and even though we are in the house together it?s hard to be together except for the afternoon and evenings when the school day is done.?

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Daniella Arango Student: Stella Cardillo, a sixth-grader at Miami Country Day School said, "Being in quarantine is affecting me in a lot of ways; good and bad ways."

Being in quarantine has impacted Stella's education because she does not have that much school time, or school hours, compared to the usual day at school.

Some things that Stella does to help her with writing and increasing knowledge is reading a couple books. A side effect of this is that she gets tired easily as she is not that active causing her to feel sleepy. This makes her feel less proactive and productive, so quarantine has really impacted her within this sense. Being social is also a big thing in Stella's life and now that everyone is in quarantine, she is not seeing people.

Online school is kind of hard at first for Stella because everyone is talking at the same time and then the internet goes down. Online school is very different, "When we do online school, we don't have a whiteboard and we do not have the same equipment that we usually use at school. We are getting through it but it is harder than it would be at school."

Per sonal: I would have never thought that I would be sitting in front of my desk, on my computer, and being taught from home. Part of me always wanted for school to come to my house because I thought that I could relax more and do whatever I wanted.

Turns out, it's not really like that. The feeling of being stressed about school and all the work that has to be done is still there no matter where I have school - either on campus or online. Everyone has been saying that they are bored but honestly I am not. My favorite things to do, after school, are either jumping in the pool or the ocean, spending the day outside, or watching movies and eating popcorn.

I am very grateful that we live in a house that has a yard and access to the water. I can take breaks during classes and after I am done with my work I

can have fun with my brothers and parents outside.

be much more careful about the way we do stuff from now on.

Teacher : Parent: Quarantine is not ideal for the situation Camila Cardillo is going through. So far it has impacted Mrs. Cardillo enormously. Sadly, Mrs. Cardillo has a family member that is sick in Brazil and she can't even think about going there to visit her because of the virus. It would not be an option anyway because even if Mrs. Cardillo could go, doctors will not allow her to visit the hospital. This is her main worry right now, in addition she also has work.

Mrs. Cardillo is an amazing chef. Lately, her job has been extremely affected because no one is ordering anything, there are no events, and she is not teaching any classes. If Mrs. Cardillo did not have her husband to support her financially, she could be in big trouble.

Being in quarantine is affecting Mrs. Cardillo in two main aspects. One of those aspects is that Mrs. Cardillo can not go out and it is driving her crazy because she is a very social person. Mrs. Cardillo needs to be around people, she needs to go out, she needs to buy her fresh ingredients everyday, and she does not like being inside of the house. Mrs. Cardillo is very thankful that she has a yard and that she can go out a little bit. In her neighborhood, she can walk around too, because she is a safe distance from everyone else.

The second impact is that Mrs. Cardillo is becoming really paranoid when she receives groceries from online services as she has to disinfect everything that comes in the house. When Mrs. Cardillo walks her dog, she is afraid that she will bring the virus from her shoes.

As a result of this situation Mrs. Cardillo has learned a lot in many different ways. Mrs. Cardillo thinks the most important one is that we can count on many friends and neighbors and people sometimes you don't even expect anything from because they are strangers and they are here to help us. Mrs. Cardillo has also been helping a lot of people in the neighborhood and helping people who asked her stuff online. Mrs. Cardillo realized that people are there for each other more than she thought. Another thing that Mrs. Cardillo learned is that we can transmit horrible things like viruses and not just because we didn't wash your hands properly but because we didn't sneeze inside of your arm or things like that, she thinks we need to

It has been a different experience trying to adapt to teaching online as it is a little time-consuming to plan and to keep in touch with all of Susanna Linfield's students. Mrs. Linfield is obviously at home and ready to teach all her students during the week. Some of the activities she does is: reading, work in her garden, and Mrs. Linfield loves to be working on her painting and sculpture. Mrs. Linfield worries about using some of the dangerous tools when she sculpts because she does not want to have to go near a hospital.

"I have another son who is quarantined in the Middle East. They are under lockdown in Amman Jordan at the moment, so those are hard considerations as well. I have my one son who is far away, in another country and he is going through what we are going through here but it's frightening."

Mrs. Linfield's brother, who is a doctor, has to be really careful and not take the illness home to his family. Having the proper protective equipment is important for all of us and we all have to be kind.

At the moment Mrs. Linfield built an outdoor shower for a homeless man that she knows in her neighborhood so that he can have a place to be clean. He comes once or twice a week to the shower, and Mrs. Linfiled then does his laundry and gives him coffee. It reminded Mrs. Linfield of her grandmother during the Depression when there were millions of Americans out of work, Mrs. Linfield's grandmother used to make soup and she made huge quantities of it and then she'd feed about 10-15 men on her back doorstep everyday during that time.

So far all of Mrs. Linfield's students are being so respectful online and they are trying really hard to adjust, show up on time, be responsive, and be on top of assignments so that makes teachers' jobs so much easier.

"I think I was reminded that we are all tremendously resilient, and when we act cooperatively and considerately and generously to each other we can make the world a better place. I think there are a lot of positive things that might come out of this. We will be more generous; we will be more appreciative of the people who take care of us."

Lucas Bacardi Shriftman Student: Adrian Atoa, a sixth-grader at Miami Country Day School says he is careful of what he is doing, always washing his hands and trying not to be in large crowds. He also says the school work is not overwhelming, but much more homework then when we had regular school. Adrian is keeping himself occupied by playing games that he can do while still being safe and trying to make the best of the situation.

Teacher : Ms. Linfield, a sixth-grade English teacher said, She is staying at home, washing hands, and cleaning important surfaces. To keep herself

occupied, she is picking up groceries when needed, stretching and exercising, looking after plants, and doing art projects. Ms. Linfield thought, It is harder to teach on zoom because it is hard to reach every student. She added it is hard to keep the students focused, and it is a big step for the students because there is a lot of independent work time.

Per sonal: To stay safe I wash my hands, don't touch any metal, stay six feet away from people and not go outside except for exercise. To keep myself occupied I eat, exercise, play video games, bake, do homework, and watch TV. The school work is a little more than usual, but we have more time to do it, so it is manageable. When I get bored in the house I think of something else to do. For instance, I will search up recipes online and then cook them.

This is something fun that lets time pass by and

gives you time to spend with your family.

Parent: Melissa Netkin, a mom at Miami Country Day School says, ?It's frustrating because we have to stay inside and not being able to go outside, but we are to spend more time as a family and less time on devices. We are not as rushed as usual and not a strict schedule except for online school.?

To occupy her time she is exercising, reading, playing games with the family, watching movies with the family, a Zoom hang out with friends, cooking classes, and helping out the school. To stay safe she is Staying at home and when she has to go outside she practices social distancing, using sanitizer wipes and hand sanitizer.