Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

Mine took a gap year.

In hindsight I wish we had encouraged our 2020 grad to do that. We didn't know what the future would hold at the time though.

My 2020 grad is fine. He went away to school freshman year and did online classes from his dorm room but he had as much of a normal college experience as he could. He has commented how the freshman this year (2022 hs grads) act like little kids. He said they’re all stuck acting like a bunch of high school students. He didn’t have the same complaint about the 2021 grads.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

Some did. My son only missed little more than a month of college. They held classes outside, online, or in smaller groups.

My 2021 HS missed a lot but made the best of it, it was scary but we didn't hold them back from going out and doing things. They're currently a sophomore in college and a semester ahead bc of AP/DE. My 2019 HS kid is a senior in college kid and I actually feel worse for them, they play a spring sport and had that shut down. Now all the COVID players are there and rosters have been a mess. It also didn't help that their college was online for a year and half, but they're trying to make the best of it. We've been very blessed that both kids have had great attitudes and no mental health issues which definitely would have changed things. Agree that almost any school aged child during COVID suffered in some way.

My 21 grad was lucky enough to be in a school that was on for the first half of senior year, then off for spring, with in person graduation ceremonies, so while it impacted them, they did preserve a bit of normalcy. I don’t think they feel stuck at 17, they just turned 20 and getting on with sophomore year in college.

We got lucky. Small private HS was able to do graduation with kids present and parents could watch online. They were able to do some of their senior year traditions. College was in person and they did all that they could do to make it normal. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was good enough. That being said, many of her friends had a very difficult time adjusting to college and a handful are still struggling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

I agree with this. My 2020 graduate spent their entire freshman year in their dorm room doing online classes. Even though they are doing well and are on track to graduate in 2024, there are some things that they won't recover. Meeting tons of people, joining clubs, study groups, hanging out with people on the quad on a sunny day. The COVID restrictions (which I believe were warranted) prohibited almost all socializing. To this day, my junior has a very small group of friends and doesn't think that highly of their college experience.

My 2020 kid didn’t take a gap year. It was a crappy year but they came out of that school year with 33 credits and a good GPA and went into the next one smoothly. Now they’re almost done with college (graduating in December most likely).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

Mine took a gap year.

Mine should have taken a gap year.

I have both a 2020 and 2021 grad. The 2020 grad had a more difficult transition to college. His freshman year was a mess and he didn't want to go back for year 2. He's currently working full time as a Pharmacy Tech, and has not continued with college right now. Three of his close friends aren't doing much of anything either, even less than him. At least he has a job that he enjoys, and it keeps him occupied 50-60 hours a week. I think he's a slower to launch adult, but it's not like he sits in the basement smoking pot and playing video games all day.

My 2021 grad is still in college. He's had some struggles, but I don't know that they are really related to the pandemic.

I have a 2020 grad and was just talking to a parent friend who was remarking that she knew of a bunch of kids from their class who have paused on college. It totally makes sense, they missed the chance to really lean into that first year of school and many kids i think still felt pretty lonely and disconnected when they went back for their 2nd year.

I have a 2021 grad who I wish would have taken a gap year. He hated virtual learning and was looking forward to getting out of the house and being away at college, but he wasn't ready emotionally, socially, or psychologically. One very tricky thing about the pandemic is that some kids, especially those prone to anxiety, had positive day-to-day experiences being home with their families during the shutdowns. It was not until they returned to regular schooling that it became apparent that they were missing the experiences and development necessary to succeed. So many kids are lacking in social skills, creating a culture of loneliness and disconnection. Loneliness can impact the brain and actually impair cognitive functioning. My son is back home, working, attending therapy, and taking a few courses at community college. He is much happier now that he has accepted a new path.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

Mine took a gap year.

Mine should have taken a gap year.

I have both a 2020 and 2021 grad. The 2020 grad had a more difficult transition to college. His freshman year was a mess and he didn't want to go back for year 2. He's currently working full time as a Pharmacy Tech, and has not continued with college right now. Three of his close friends aren't doing much of anything either, even less than him. At least he has a job that he enjoys, and it keeps him occupied 50-60 hours a week. I think he's a slower to launch adult, but it's not like he sits in the basement smoking pot and playing video games all day.

My 2021 grad is still in college. He's had some struggles, but I don't know that they are really related to the pandemic.

I have a 2020 grad and was just talking to a parent friend who was remarking that she knew of a bunch of kids from their class who have paused on college. It totally makes sense, they missed the chance to really lean into that first year of school and many kids i think still felt pretty lonely and disconnected when they went back for their 2nd year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

I think it is 6 of one, half dozen of another. Compelling reasons why each one is "worse" - different challenges due to different circumstances.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine graduated in 2020 and no. Their school year always ended in May so there were only 8 weeks left in the school year when things shut down. Prom was cancelled and graduation was held in batches that August. They seem fine to me. 2020 kids were also in a good spot to take a gap year without missing out on much if they desired to.

I think it was harder on 2021 kids.

The 2020 kids missed their first year of college, which I think is worse than missing the last year of high school.

Mine took a gap year.

Mine should have taken a gap year.

I have both a 2020 and 2021 grad. The 2020 grad had a more difficult transition to college. His freshman year was a mess and he didn't want to go back for year 2. He's currently working full time as a Pharmacy Tech, and has not continued with college right now. Three of his close friends aren't doing much of anything either, even less than him. At least he has a job that he enjoys, and it keeps him occupied 50-60 hours a week. I think he's a slower to launch adult, but it's not like he sits in the basement smoking pot and playing video games all day.

My 2021 grad is still in college. He's had some struggles, but I don't know that they are really related to the pandemic.

Anonymous wrote:My 2022 graduate was shocked when she turned 19. She says she still feels 17 due to the pandemic.

Yep, mine too. I have a 2020, 2022, and 2025. Definitely worst for 2022 but I suppose it could be the kid. Boy. The other two are girls.

Anonymous wrote:All students from Kindergarten to MA/JD/MD etc were robbed of life experiences.

K -> MD isn’t super common anymore.

so the kids that are actually talking about their feelings are kids who are immature?

They should just suck it up and move on and grow up and toughen up?

Totally disagree, my 2020 grad speaks of this time often, how it has shaped them, how they did miss out on some of the most memorable experiences of their life, why? because it is healthy. They learned a lot during this time, thankfully m kid learned to express their feelings and not be silenced because they are "immature"