This year the flu has been very bad, leaving high numbers of students absent from school for as long as three weeks. After dealing with different sicknesses for a whole month, I had to learn different strategies on how to get all caught up, but also keep up with what we were doing in class.

After so many students having the flu or other different sicknesses, like viral meningitis, strep, or viruses, going around, Triton Voice decided to talk to some of the students who have been out for a while, to discover what it’s like having to make up so much time and work missed, and what they’re doing to balance their work and time missed.

t’s tough coming back to school after being out for so long, especially when you’re sick. It wears you out, and it can make it harder for students to stay caught up with the rest of the class.

At Triton, students are allowed two days to make up their work for every day they are absent. So students who were out for a week, or even longer, have lots of time to make up of all their work. But not all teachers follow that, so certain students might have a harder time making up their work.

After being out from school for two weeks, from getting her wisdom teeth out and then having the flu, senior Katie MacDonald says what it was like coming back to school and having make up work.

“I got my wisdom teeth out, then had mono/the flu so I was out for almost two full weeks and coming back to all the work I missed was really hard because I had had a lot from each class that I had to do and not a lot of time to do all of it on top of homework, tests, and quizzes.”

“Being out from school for a long time is hard because you always miss so much work, and then you come back and have to keep up with the homework and assignments and also make up all of the work you missed.” Says Junior John Deufemia, who was out for a week with the flu.

“I also missed a lot of lessons, so I had to learn the material and make up tests I missed from different sections while also trying to get the regular homework done and not fall even more behind with what we’re now learning.”

Junior Jasmine Mohit was out for week with the flu and explains what it was like after returning.

“I tried to do a little at a time, while also trying to do the assignments the class was doing, so I wouldn’t fall more behind. I think it’s easier that way because you don’t get as stressed out, and plus if you’re out for a while you have a long time to make things up, so I just took it slowly, and did as much work as I could each day.”

It’s tough, coming back to school after being out for so long, and have fallen behind in all of your classes. It’s stressful for the students because they have to worry about making up all of the work that they missed, and also stay on top of what the class is now doing, so they don’t fall even more behind.

When you’re out for a while, as Triton Voice discovered, it is hard, but you just have to take it a day at a time and slowly make up your work. Therefore , you don’t get stressed or set yourself back.

Students who are out for long time usually also have just as long to make up all of their work, so it helps to take things easy, and not do all of it at once because that would be too much for someone who has just been sick for so long.

It’s been a really bad year for the flu and getting sick, resulting in many absences and students falling behind with school work. It takes time after returning to school, to get caught up with everything, but if you plan it out right and manage your time well, students can get their make-up work done and get back up to speed with the rest of the class.