Quarantine-induced lack of motivation affects students and teachers

by Haleigh Terhune

Originating in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has crossed international borders to many countries. U.S. state governments have since issued travel restrictions, business regulations, and curfews to decrease the spread of the virus. Gov. Kemp issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire state of Georgia along with shutting down schools. “As you know, I ordered that all of Georgia’s K-12 public schools would remain closed through the end of the year,” said Kemp at a press conference. “Know that this decision wasn’t easy, but it was incredibly important as we work to keep our students, families, and communities safe.”

Schools have since switched to online platforms to continue their curriculum in quarantine, but students and teachers alike are finding the change difficult.

For Daisy Little, a second year fashion merchandising major at the University of Georgia, quarantine has greatly affected both her social life and her schoolwork. She stayed in Athens for quiet alone time away from her family, and she believes the city is handling the situation well.

“I feel safe,” said Little, “It was good to shut down the bars and restaurants when they did so people couldn’t go out.”

When she does go out, usually to the grocery store, she wears a mask and washes her hands when she returns to her apartment. When home, Little fills her free time by playing guitar, sewing, and completing schoolwork. But, she admits that her work ethic is on the decline.

“I have a hard time self-motivating anyway,” said Little, “but it’s really hard when I don’t have any time limits or pressure to do things. The lack of routine is really bothering me.”

The sentiment is shared by Will Davanzo, a second year psychology major at UGA, who feels his “productivity has definitely decreased’ along with his motivation, making it difficult to get through the day.

Davanzo said he at least finds comfort in the fact that “everyone’s going through it” and that “[his] feelings are valid.” The switch to online classes was not difficult, Davanzo said, but it was made harder by the fact that the semester started in person. Besides motivating himself to do schoolwork, he “[tries] to go on a run or at least a long walk every day, but it is definitely nothing like what it was before.” His eating habits have also changed since he moved back to his Athens apartment, and he eats less now than before.

“It’s stressful to be with your family in a time of quarantine,” said Davanzo, “When I’m here I can do whatever the hell I want, which is nice, but also if I don’t get out of bed then nothing will get done.”

With both locations having pros and cons, Davanzo has been traveling between Athens and Brunswick, although it is difficult to compare how they are dealing with the virus. Davanzo did not approve of his hometown reopening the beaches. “It’s a little silly,” he said.

Local officials thought so too. “We are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and while we are closing schools we are reopening beaches,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told “NBC Nightly News.” Tybee Island in particular is urging people to stay off the beaches despite Kemp’s decision.

“The health of our residents, staff and visitors are being put at risk,” Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions wrote. “We will pursue legal avenues to overturn his reckless mandate.”

Tamara Daughtry, an art teacher at Brunswick High School, is also confused about why beaches are reopening, although she thinks Brunswick is doing an “okay job” overall at handling COVID-19. Along with her confusion, Daughtry is disappointed that her students will not be able to finish out the school year in person, especially the graduating class.

“I’m hoping that we’ll have some sort of graduation [ceremony] in the middle of summer for our kids,” said Daughtry.

Daughtry continues to teach class through online platforms, but online work has made hands-on learning difficult for her art students. Daughtry dropped off art supplies to her students to help with projects, but she said that lower-income students have less to work with for the rest of the year.

“I’m having to come up with curriculum where they’re having to use their imagination and supplies that they have”, she said, “so you have to be a lot more creative,” she said.

Daughtry finds it difficult to come up with projects that will accommodate all of her students’ situations, and motivation is a problem for teachers too. “I’ve kind of been depressed,” Daughtry said “I am less focused. I have a hard time finishing tasks.”

With a more staggered schedule, she takes more breaks and finds it easy for her attention to drift away to something else.

Motivation is a struggle across the board, but students and teachers alike are doing their best to stay productive. They are making the most of the situation despite switching to online communication halfway through a semester. No one is certain when quarantine will end, but Daisy Little echoes the shared hope that “this will be over sometime this summer.”