I am not a morning person. Anyone who knows me knows that. But oddly enough, waking up has become less of a task and even somewhat of a tolerable experience ever since North Allegheny Cyber Academy (NACA) began.

I time every morning to give me exactly seven minutes to get logged into period one’s Blackboard Collaborate session. It used to take me half an hour to get ready for normal school days, so I’d be up before six. But not this year. With NACA, I put in the absolute minimum effort in my appearance—just enough that my mom isn’t concerned there’s a stranger at our kitchen table.

I used to “attend” my classes in my room, but after the first two days of Blackboard griping about my “unstable internet connection” and my laptop coincidentally glitching every time I was called on in Spanish, I decided to call it quits and move to my kitchen table.

Unfortunately, that opened up a box of distractions for me. The temptation to not pay attention is ever so present—the enticing half-open pantry door, the open tabs on Google Chrome, the glowing TikTok logo— but I know the second I fall into the trap, my brain will immediately disconnect from cyberland. And once I come back, we’ll be on an entirely different page of notes, using brand-new terminology that I’ll have to struggle to catch up with.

While the convenient distractions are annoying, the lack of interaction is what really stings. I used to enjoy casual conversations with my teachers, classroom discussions, and even the smallest of interactions with a friend in the halls. Cracking jokes through an audio feed doesn’t hold that same appeal. Surrounded by the same blank walls in my house, I miss the posters in Mr. Venezia’s room that would stoke my curiosity and the lone “pear” hanging from Mr. Long’s ceiling.

Lunch periods used to be my escape from classes, but now they almost feel like a chore. I sit around aimlessly in my house, wistfully remembering the days I spent lunches in NASH’s packed cafeteria. It feels laughable and slightly pathetic to say that I actually look forward to breakout rooms in Collaborate, as they are the rare instances I can speak to my classmates. While awkward at first (and likely throughout the entire session), it’s one of the only times I’m unmuted and freely participating.

My teachers have tried their best to appreciate the NACA students and their presence in the classroom as much as possible, but, at the end of the day, raising a purple virtual hand just doesn’t give me the same thrill as solving a problem correctly in class does. Even virtual participation feels a bit awkward, as there is usually an uncomfortable situation where the incredibly patient teacher waits for someone to answer a question while no one raises their hand. And finally, just finally, someone takes one for the team and gives into answering the question.

But it’s also at times like this that I’m reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to attend NA. My teachers have been exceptionally accommodating, toiling extra hours simply for our educational experience to remain moderately normal. My added work in navigating through Blackboard classes pales in comparison to their management of two cohorts and NACA students, all on different wavelengths of communication. More importantly, I’m lucky to even have the technology to connect to classes in the first place, when other school districts face confining budgets and administrative barriers to providing educational access.

Although the days blend together and my eyes blur from staring at my screen, I find solace in my routine. I enjoy being able to sleep through my back to back study hall and lunch. I appreciate my teachers, and I genuinely love the material. That’s my ultimate secret to getting through the days—appreciating the little things until we find our new normal.