Editor’s note: We’re looking for a variety of young voices to contribute to “Hits Different.” If you’d like to write a commentary, send it to Area Editor Jason Hennington at jason.hennington@granitemediapartners. com.
Last year, many state governors lifted the mask mandate in the majority of public spaces, including schools and grocery stores. For my relatives living in Taylor, the option to not wear a mask already had been a reality for months prior to this decision in other parts of the country.
For me, a high school junior, the sudden elimination of the mask requirement brought on a variety of emotions.
At first, I found the timing of the decision ironic, given that it was almost exactly two years since my high school shut down due to COVID19. Of course, all of our lives changed forever in March 2020, and when I returned to the classroom in spring 2021 for parttime hybrid in-person learning, I truly believed that I would never see a day where I could go to school without wearing a face covering.
Later, when students were permitted to return to in-person school full time, five days a week, things were, in the simplest sense, different. However, even with mask and sanitation protocols, “6-feet-apart” stickers covering the floor of the hallways, and the general uneasiness and uncertainty of not knowing whether school would be shut down again, my friends and I remarked that it was almost as if we had never left.
School was, for the most part, the same routine. Bells marking the beginning and ending of each period, eating lunch with friends, and teachers reminding us of upcoming tests streamlined our lives once again, giving us the structure and schedule we desperately yearned for during the year of distance learning. During the mandate, I got used to wearing a mask for eight hours a day quickly, and, embarrassingly enough, I became more comfortable with it on than without. I initially detested the feeling of being restrained behind the hot, stuffy cloth, but eventually it provided a security blanket during times when I felt self-conscious (and wondered if there was food in my teeth after lunch). Which is why, when the news spread the mask mandate was being lifted, I was hesitant at first.
What if I was the only one not wearing a mask? What if someone became angry and asked me to put my mask back on? What if my teachers called me out for not wearing one in front of my class?
My fears were, sadly, at least somewhat justified, as many of my teachers made their opinions on face coverings quite apparent. In the days before the mandate was declared null and void, my classes went through dozens of slideshow presentations and discussions where expectations were laid out and concerns were addressed. The school made it clear that no bullying over masks would be tolerated.
The message: The decision whether to wear a mask is an individual choice and will be
respected. Arriving at school the Monday after the lifting of the mask requirement was shocking. I saw many more students than I expected without the covering. I predicted a ratio of 80% to 20%, with 80% of students choosing to keep their masks on, but on Monday, I believe it was 60% to 40% instead. The number of learners opting to wear a mask continued to drop over time.
Being able to see my classmates’ faces, or at least the other half of them, for the first time in two years was astonishing. I never would have guessed that one girl had a nose ring while another boy had a full-grown beard. For me, it has been amazing to see people’s smiles and unique features. I feel more confident in myself and more connected with my school, whereas before, I often felt hidden and detached.
Dannah, 17, is a high school senior.
