Student Perspectives: Homeschooling During COVID-19, Hannah Montgomery
February 9, 2021
No Panic in the Pandemic
By Hannah Montgomery, 9th Grade
Sickness, strangeness, sadness, and new situations were all parts of this past year. The coronavirus pandemic brought in panic and pandemonium all over the world, but for Granite Christian homeschoolers, the changes have not brought despair.
As homeschoolers we did not have a super busy life previous to the pandemic, but we were certainly active in getting together with friends, going on field trips, and doing fun activities outside of home. With the start of COVID came isolation and quarantine, but it did not stay that way. We made sure to safely get together with friends when possible, go on online “field trips” that fun zoo and science-y sites were hosting, and my mom did whatever she could to keep our schooling fun despite the changes. As homeschoolers, even with not being able to go in person to Granite every Monday and Wednesday, assignments did not need to change very drastically, and classmates could still see each other on Zoom. Students were happy to be able to see each other in person for the first few weeks of classes, and after that friends found ways to meet up with each other outside of Granite.
While the coming of the coronavirus was devastating, we had no reason to despair, because even when we could not see friends, family and the church in person, we still had God our Savior and Creator in our hearts. Thankfully we are allowed to meet in person for Church now, but even when we could not, we remain at peace because Christ is with us at all times.
The Granite family is so encouraging even online in a number of different ways. Chapel happens on Zoom every Monday and Thursday morning, and while it is not long, it is a sweet time of reciting truths and seeing some faces that otherwise we would not see. Granite also has a system in which families are assigned to pray for Granite tutors and staff. Prayer is a powerful thing and God is using families to work in the lives of other families through this program.
Prayer is such an important tool as we look ahead to the future and wonder what will happen next. Our country is unstable, but that is to be expected. God said that in this world we would have trouble, but to take heart, for He has overcome the world. Because of social distancing and quarantine orders, families are forced to have more time together. This can be for the greater good, and certainly has worked in some families to promote better and closer relationships while they have to slow down.
As an extrovert, the pandemic was hard for me because I always loved the time I had with my friends and classmates at Granite and otherwise. The pandemic has brought me closer to my family and closer to God, as I had more time on my hands to pursue a relationship with both. This has helped me, because as I am getting older, I know how important good relationships are. Covid has devastated many, but as Christians we are not without hope, we are not without love, and we are never alone.