Back to School

Kids all over the country are going back to school. Many are returning to classrooms. “I can’t wait to see my friends,” Stella Smit, 8, told TIME for Kids. She goes to school in Denver, Colorado.

In parts of the United States, the coronavirus pandemic × pandemic SAM EDWARDS—GETTY IMAGES an outbreak of disease that spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people throughout the world (noun) Doctors around the world teamed up to stop the pandemic and keep people healthy. is now more under control. That is because many people have been vaccinated. People ages 12 and up can get the COVID-19 vaccine × vaccine PHYNART STUDIO/GETTY IMAGES a medicine used to protect against a virus or disease (noun) Erika went to the doctor's office to get a vaccine for the flu. . This has slowed the spread of the disease.

Students show up for the first day of school in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on July 28, 2021.

But the virus that causes COVID-19 has changed. Scientists and doctors are keeping track of it. They share guidance × guidance LWA/GETTY IMAGES advice or information (noun) My coach gives me guidance so that I can excel at football. based on what they learn. Kids are less likely to get seriously sick from the virus. The same is true for people who are vaccinated.

In It Together

The pandemic began a year and a half ago. Since then, many kids have fallen behind in school. They haven’t been able to see their friends. And the pandemic has affected them emotionally × emotionally SHARON VOS-ARNOLD—GETTY IMAGES relating to emotions, or feelings (adverb) I am emotionally attached to my dog. .

A student at Hooper Avenue Elementary, in Los Angeles, California, attends summer school in June.

Teachers are determined to help students succeed. “When we get back into school, we’re going to keep working together,” Christine Alvarado says. She is a teacher for Chicago Public Schools, in Illinois.

Some kids are excited about the new school year. Others are nervous. Some feel different emotions at the same time. “However you feel about being back in school is okay,” Alvarado says. After all, she adds, “we’ve been through a lot.”

Class Online

Last year, Stella Smit spent part of second grade learning from home, in Denver, Colorado.

The pandemic has changed education. Many students have gotten better at using technology. So have teachers. Online learning might become more common. Tonya Bozeman is a superintendent. She works for Conecuh County Schools, in Alabama. “It taught us that we can be flexible in our thinking,” she says about the pandemic.