Opinion: A nontraditional student’s musings on these nontraditional times

It’s 9 a.m. in the morning, and I am settling into another school day online. The room I’m in is relatively tranquil. I’ve got my notebook ready and the lecture has started. Sounds like a typical class in the era of COVID-19, right? Well, it is, save for one tiny distinction: I’m quarantined with a toddler. 

What was once a peaceful, productive moment in time becomes an aural assault, as my two-year-old son, Adam, screeches at the top of his lungs. Nothing is wrong, aside from him displaying his “terrible twos.” His blood-curdling scream pierces through my headphones, drowning out my instructor’s lecture on political economies.

Since my son’s daycare was shut down and my wife’s student-teaching program ended, my life has been a cabin fever-induced roller coaster. Mind you, it is enjoyable having extra time to spend with my family, but a sleep-deprived child does not make for the best classmate. Conversely, I’m sure my wife isn’t thrilled about the time I barricade myself from them, in order to get schoolwork done. 

The words “controlled” and “environment” are like oil and water these days, to which I’m sure many of my peers can attest. Every to-do list begins to look like a “try to do” or “will eventually do” list, especially as my free time tends to consist of cleaning food from my child’s hair. 

I empathize with traditional college students who were shooed out of their dorms, but returning home to parents sounds like a luxury to a non-traditional college family. Having family nearby would mean help with our toddler and a respite for my wife and I. It would also give our son a break from us, as his grandparents would spoil him rotten. 

After recently reading fellow Statesman writer Emily White’s story on finding structure during the shift to online studies, it dawned on me that I’m not alone. As students, we are all facing challenges adapting to online instruction, restricted social lives and a heightened anxiety. We are collectively buried in homework and scrambling to manage our time — all while attempting to hold on to any sense of normalcy day to day.

So while we are all cooped up during these uncertain days, it is important to look around and appreciate the family time we do get. Even though we have all been ripped out of our normal lives, let’s focus on the positives and control what aspects of our routines that we can. Whether that entails spending more time Zooming with friends, or letting your kids sleep a little longer, we can all get through this together.

Featured graphic created by Keith Wilson. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect his own.