Items

• 2021-01-15

  Virtual Learning

  Virtual Learning was CRAZY. SO many pros and cons. Some pros are that we get to stay home and have our choice of lunch and we also get to be anywhere like on vacation and stuff as long as we had wifi we could do it. Some cons is that its SUPER distracting and soooo many temptations such as going downstairs to eat during class, going on your phone and do other stuff, and also, (the biggest of all) people cheating on quizzes and tests. All you have to do is have the quiz or test on one tab, and the answers on the other. I like in school learning wayyyy better because I get to see friends, get more exercise instead of being cooped up in my room, and be more focused during class. AND THE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS THAT FORGET THAT THEY AREN'T MUTED IS HILARIOUS!!! THEY'D BE WATCHING VIDEOS OR PLAYING MUSIC OR TALKING TO SOMEONE OFF OF MUTE AND THE WHOLE CLASS WOULD HEAR!!!! In some cases, some did get in trouble for what the situation was and what they were playing. Some zoom classes were also getting leaked (I was in one of the leaked zooms) and some random person would take the name of a student and then do something inappropriate and leave right after so we would know who it was. It was obvious a student leaked the zoom call because how would a complete stranger have the same exact name as a student in the same period? Anyways I personally prefer in person learning far more than online.
• 
  2020-04

  The impact COVID-19 had on my mental and emotional health.

  My experience throughout this unexpected pandemic took a toll on my state of mental and emotional health. When I first found out about how quick this virus was spreading throughout our city, schools were still not closed officially and I was still traveling on public transportation to work. When taking public transportation, due to the lack of masks, I had to wear a scarf around my face because that was the only way I could think of protecting myself. I was anxious all the time, but most especially on the train and bus rides, my anxiety would get the best of me, so much that at times I felt like I had to hold my breath so that I can minimize my exposure to contracting this virus. Once things started getting really bad and schools and non essential jobs finally shut down, it was a slight relief. Switching from in person lectures to virtual learning was not as easy as I had thought it would be. I was now not only anxious and worried because of this pandemic and the health of myself and my loved ones but also because I was having a hard time trying to adapt to a different style of learning. I was taking two science courses, both biology and chemistry which were not the easiest topics for me. To prevent us from "cheating" professors had made the exams much harder which was another stressor. Throughout the spring semester I was staying up really late at night trying to study in every way possible so that I would do well on my upcoming exams. Whenever I had the time to sleep I just couldn't because my anxiety wouldn't let me. I would have never imagined this getting so bad, I thought maybe with quarantining we would have it under control but unfortunately this virus is still on going and who knows when we'll get back to what was considered normal.
• 
  2020-08-25

  Did Prisons Benefit from the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP)?

  This Tweet poses a good question for investigation. Did prisons and other incarceration facilities receive PPP loans that were meant for small businesses?