LIFE

A lot of school districts are moving to entirely online instruction as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, and you very well might be *freaking out* about the idea of staying home all day for 4 more months. To add insult to injury, schools across the country are canceling their fall sports seasons. As much of a bummer as this may seem, there are still plenty of opportunities to turn this year around that don't involve Friday night football games and lunchtime gossip sessions with your besties. Here are some things you can do to make virtual school as fun as possible. 

Take the initiative to reach out to teachers 

Let's face it: taking classes online sometimes just isn't as effective as actually being there in person. It can be hard to focus on lessons over Zoom, or you may feel uncomfortable asking questions in. a virtual setting. One way to make sure that you can stay on top of academics is to reach out to your teachers right away via email and ask for some one-on-one chat time over the phone or Zoom. If you express how seriously you plan to take classes and make the effort to form a connection with your teacher, you will feel more confident throughout the semester asking for extra help on confusing concepts. 

Organize virtual workouts 

For all you GL star athletes, missing out on team workouts and games may be the toughest part of a virtual semester. Luckily, you can still organize team workouts over Zoom and find other safe ways to spend time with your teammates while staying active! Whether it's getting a small group together to take a socially distant hike or starting a Facetime chat from the weight room, keeping each other involved in your sport will help with team bonding and ensure that you are all physically ready for future seasons.

Find an online passion project 

Now that clubs may not be allowed to meet in person, you may find yourself with too many hours in the day that used to be spent in debate, yearbook, or other student groups. While finding some other hobby will definitely not be the same, it can be great for your mental health and help build up an impressive resume for future college or job applications (its never too early to plan for the future!). Maybe you have always wanted to start an Etsy shop selling your handmade jewelry creations, or you want to keep your Spanish skills sharp by volunteering through an online peer tutoring website like Varsity Tutors, you can definitely keep yourself busy from home this fall! 

Virtual study dates 

Following stay-at-home quarantine orders definitely makes it more difficult to find a bae, but that doesn't mean you will be totally lonely the whole year! While there is *nothing* wrong with staying single and focusing on yourself, you can also make the most of virtual classes and shoot your shot with your crush! One easy way to reach out to that cutie you had your eye on last year is to send him an email through his school account asking to be study buddies for any classes you have together. This can be *way* less nervewracking than asking your crush out in person, and if all goes well you to can video chat and start talking regularly to see if there are real feelings there. 

Online shopping sprees with bestie after class

Missing after-school trips to your fav stores at the mall with your girlfriends? Get them on a group video chat and go down the list of your go-to online sites to search for deals together! You can show each other items in your cart and find cute fits for everyone to rock when you can safely hang out together again. This is an easy and fun way to get some quality time in with your best friends and shop till you drop from the comfort of your couch. 

Scared of being bored while at home this fall? Follow us @girlslifemag on TikTok, Insta, and Twitter for fun vids and pics that will help keep you entertained! 

by Lexi Casazza | 8/13/2020