I've always heard that hard times can reveal one's true character. This pandemic proved just that.
I've mentioned before just how wonderful my community was with supporting me during my senior year. They showered us in gifts, came out to watch a big parade we were in, and made sure an in-person graduation happened. The support and love that I received from complete strangers in my town was shocking and amazing.
My community was not the only group that stepped up when things got hard. Most of my teachers also demonstrated outstanding support. My AP Literature teacher immediately gave us his personal cellphone and made sure to let us know that we are able to talk to him about anything at any time. Despite having to work tirelessly to move lessons to online, my teachers still checked up on us to make sure we were okay and they graded assignments with empathy. Since we were under the presumption that the virus would only last a few weeks, we never expected our senior year to end with online classes. When the news broke in April that our governor was canceling school for the rest of the year, I was in the middle of Spanish class. My teacher stopped the lesson and let us all cry together. It was a powerful moment in my life that I will never forget. Teachers like that made the quarantine so much easier to handle and I appreciate all they did for us when they themselves had no idea what would happen either.
However, not every teacher showed who they truly are for the better. There was one teacher who completely gave up on us when the pandemic hit. We had an AP test just months away and he assigned us to read from the textbook and nothing else. He never checked on our mental health, helped us study for the exam, or even produce lectures so we could continue learning from him. Everything we learned for the AP exam was from the textbook which was very difficult during such a trying time.
Some people gave it their all and rallied as many people as possible to make the best for as many people as possible while others isolated themselves, cutting off contact. As a whole, I am so proud of everyone's efforts during the pandemic. Even on a national scale, the dedication of essential workers did not go unnoticed. Sometimes it takes adversity to learn who is truly there for you and who is not. Dark times reveal true colors.
