美国学生重返学校,心情千姿百态

JUDY WOODRUFF: Millions of students are headed back to school in person after a year of online learning. We asked students in our Student Reporting Labs network what returning to in-person learning looks and feels like amid new Delta variant concerns, vaccination debates, and mask mandates.

VICTORIA TONG, Student: It's only been like two weeks of school so far, and there are already like COVID cases.

SYLVIE POWELL, Student: School me honestly feels like it's my first time being here.

JAMES JOHNSON, Student: I am at a school with a few hundred people, and I would say about half of them are either not wearing -- like, either have the mask on their chin or don't have it covering their nose. And it's just the most frustrating thing ever.

ARIANNA AMARAL, Student: I'm just really glad to be back in a classroom, because online school is just so mentally draining.

ANNA ARRINGTON, Student: The thing I'm most worried about going back to school is, am I going to have the motivation to do my schoolwork?

MICHELLE XU, Student: It is definitely frustrating to see kids who think they're way too cool to wear a mask.

ZION WILLIAMS, Student: I'm kind of frustrated about that there's no mask mandate, just because I would be more comfortable if people wore masks.

ANNA LONG, Student: For me personally, it is quite a nightmare. No one is wearing masks. The numbers are completely rising, which is quite concerning, because I personally have asthma and respiratory problems.

SYDNEY WILLIAMS, Student: This year, it's honestly just really scary, because I feel like it is going to spread, which we're actually out of school right now because of COVID numbers, so...

KAITLYN RODRIGUEZ, Student: It's going to take us a while to get readjusted into an in school setting, so not bombarding us with a bunch of homework, a bunch of tests.

KAELYN MAE, Student: Everybody handles stress differently. Like, some people are going to make jokes about COVID. Some people are going to be anxious and shy when they normally aren't.

JULIA WILKINS, Student: I wish the adults making our decisions for our district focused more on mental health and our resources.

ANNABELLE UBENCE, Student: I have lost a lot of social skills during the quarantine, and I'm worried that I'm going to be too nervous to talk to people.

CHARLIE ANDERSON, Student: I think a lot of people are going to get COVID and have to step out of school again, like they did last year.

SOFIJA KLEINSCHMIDT, Student: It's definitely a time of a lot of compassion, empathy and mutual understanding that we are in very uNPRedictable, uNPRecedented times. And I feel like we're doing the best we can.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, yes, they are, but so hard to watch the things we are asking them to do.