By Claris Lee

It was an incredibly special day as we were finally going back to school after 89 days of staying home!

With the COVID-19 pandemic expected to last for a few years, yes, there would be a need at some point to consider re-opening our schools and kindergartens.

When I started to change into my school uniform, I suddenly realized that I had not worn my uniform for an exceptionally long time. It was also such a long time since I woke up at 6 am in the morning to get ready for school.

I asked my dad whether it was a good idea to go back to school. He did not answer, probably because he did not know.

In my opinion, I feel like we should not be going back to school so soon, and should continue with our online classes, but the ministry has decided that we should return to school.

I read from an article that the learning environment should be transformed to make self-directed learning a reality as this approach to teaching is inclusive and meets the needs of every student in a classroom.

I could not agree more.

My mom packed for me some nice black noodles to eat during lunch break at school as it is now recommended that we bring our own food from home.

As I was sitting at the back seat of my dad's car, I looked outside the window and saw the traffic building up. Not everyone was wearing masks.

We finally arrived at the school gate, and I noticed that the school was much cleaner than before which was incredibly good. I saw my friends at the corner and waved to them. I wished that I could run to them and hug them, but we could not do so as we must practice social distancing.

When I walked into my classroom, I saw that only 17 tables were there. I then remembered that only 17 people were allowed in one class. Our tables were placed one meter apart. However, if you were sitting in front, someone would have accidentally sneezed on you, so I was happy my place was all the way at the back of the class.

In front of me were my friends Xander, Dixie and Amanda. We could not really talk due to social distancing, so we just smiled at one another.

Schools should consider a stepwise start-up of classes, beginning with the older students to establish a routine before introducing the younger students. This made me wonder why I was there at the school when we have not even tried out yet with my older friends.

I tried my best not to drink too much water, so I did not have to use the toilet that often. Unfortunately, I could not help it but had to go to the toilet. I raised my hand and went.

On my way to the toilet, I spotted a caretaker coughing and our headmaster walking around blowing his nose. This made me wonder if everyone was sick.

When I was inside the toilet, I tried not to touch anything. I quickly peed and went back to my class.

A few hours later, it was science class and we were learning about rocks. Not everyone was really paying attention as some were doodling while the others were just reading comic books.

I paid full attention, as what was the point of coming to school and risking your life and not paying attention? You could doodle and read comics at home.

Soon after, it was lunch time. I took out my noodle and started to eat it. While I was eating, I looked around and noticed that other people were slurping their food so callously with their saliva all over the place. I was thinking it was better for me to eat slowly than slurping the food. But I kept my thought to myself as we were not allowed to speak to one another.

After a few classes, it was time for our parents to pick us up. Parents must fetch their children instead of delegating to our grandparents or transporters. As soon as I got into my mom's car, I had to sanitize my hands. When I reached home, I put my bag outside and took out my homework. I immediately went to shower to reduce the risk of infection.

This was much more tiring than online lessons. I hope the government or the ministry of education will continue online classes again, as this is much safer and less troublesome. And I hope everyone will stay safe during this COVID-19 pandemic.

(Claris Lee, a 10-year-old Primary 4 school girl, would like to credit Uncle Amar for his inspiring article Guide for COVID-19 prevention in schools" written jointly with Dr Shyielathy Arummugam. Claris understands that returning to school will never be the same any more for her and her friends. Everyone including herself will need time to adapt to this new normal.)