Rules for the Zoom era: How to be a high school student during the coronavirus pandemic

I never thought I’d be home-schooled but COVID-19 changed that. Starting last Wednesday, my school implemented Zoom classes. Generation Z, the “Zoomers,” are zooming. Zoom is like Skype but better — it allows you to video conference with up to 1,000 others and you can share and annotate your computer screen, among other things. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Rule 1: Sleep more but not too much.

My school used to start at 8:06. Well, it was supposed to start at 8:08 but all the school clocks are two minutes ahead. I had to wake up at 6:45. But now school really does start at 8:08. I wake up at 8, throw something over my pajamas, move my books onto my bed, and open my laptop. Make sure not to cut it too close. A student in my first period class woke up at 8:08 and immediately logged into our Zoom classroom as not to be late. As he fumbled to get out of bed, he lost control of his phone and the whole class saw some very short shorts.

Rule 2: Get used to unusual classes.

My English teacher zoomed us from her parents’ kitchen and showed us a picture of herself in third-grade. My coding teacher sat on his bed and strummed his guitar. My gym teacher taught us how to make impromptu fitness equipment; he has been squatting with a 25 pound bag of cat litter and exercising his biceps with frying pans. Cats and family members have made cameos. I heard that one teacher’s kids waved a sign reading “OK, Boomer!” during her lesson.

Rule 3: Keep your phone handy.

You will need to text your classmates to tell your teacher if you experience connectivity issues. Admittedly, keeping your phone close by is distracting.

Rule 4: Mute yourself if you aren’t talking.

If nobody mutes themselves in a large class, it can lead to weird echoes of Zoom audio. Muting yourself also prevents the class from being distracted by noises like mysterious beeps and pings, your loud mouth breathing, and music.

Rule 5: Make use of virtual backgrounds if possible.

Zoom has a feature where you can replace your room with an image. Go to “Settings” and then to “Virtual Background.” Check the box that says “Yes, I have a green screen” even if you don’t and then upload an image. Beware however if your skin tone and your wall color are similar. My brown skin looked too much like my yellow walls and when I tried to use a virtual background, my entire face disappeared. All you could see were a pair of floating eyes and, sometimes, my teeth. “You did a Cheshire Cat,” my friend quipped.

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Rule 6: Take a walk after school (if it is allowed in your state/city and if there is a park near you).

All that screen time strains your eyes. Fresh air and exercise helps you recover.

Rule 7: Take advantage of your extra time.

You may have an abridged school schedule, and you have extra time because commutes are no longer necessary and most extracurriculars are cancelled. Use that time to call your friends, read a book, or learn something new. A family friend decided to teach his son life skills — how to make spanakopita and sourdough and how to buy and sell stocks, or, as his son put it, “how to make bread and how to make dough”. Inspired, my mother is trying to teach my younger sister the life skill of cooking rice without asking for help.

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Rule 8: Pursue laughter.

Monitor the situation but take occasional breaks to cherish the absurdity.

There is a lot going wrong; it’s harder to keep up with school and it seems like seniors may miss out on graduation and prom. I miss hanging out with my friends at quiz bowl practice. But humans are incredibly adaptive: we’re learning a lot and seeing a new facet of our friends and teachers.

Aruna Monika Das is a sophomore at Hunter College High School in New York City.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When coronavirus strikes, here's how to be an active student via Zoom