Story and Video by Anna Layden

When I realized that I would have to move back home and finish out my sixth semester of college from home, I wasn’t necessarily upset about it. Sure, I was upset that I would have to suddenly leave everyone that I love in Rochester to return home to Coatesville, Pennsylvania. I was upset that I didn’t get to say goodbye to people I didn’t see before spring break. I was upset that I wouldn’t get to celebrate my birthday with my friends. But I wasn’t necessarily upset about switching to online classes for the remainder of the year. Mostly because I’ve done it before.

            In 9^th grade I switched from the Catholic school system to online education at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. I had 5 days’ worth of honors and AP classes assigned online, virtual lessons to attend through Zoom, deadlines and essays to write like any other student in a brick-and-mortar school. By the following year, all three of my younger siblings also switched to this online charter school system. Having the four of us and our mom home for the majority of the week became the norm.

            COVID-19 means that everyone is back at home. Dad works from the kitchen now. I got rid of my desk; I didn’t know I would have to work from home again. Molly, my sister, continues her dance training in the unfinished basement. It’s an eerie feeling of déjà vu. I’m 21 and will finish my undergraduate degree in less than a year, but it feels like I’m 17 years old again. Everything is back to the way it was before, but different.