Getting ahead of the game: Freshman Micheal Newbold uses this time to prepare for upcoming classes and further his learning

With a 9 a.m. wake up call and eight hours spent on continuous learning, freshman Micheal Newbold has no time to waste in his days of isolation.

After the ten minutes of extra snooze time following his morning alarm, Newbold jumps out of bed and takes care of his morning hygiene routine of brushing his teeth and washing his face. Skipping breakfast, Newbold heads straight to his desk, still tasting the mint flavor of his toothpaste in his mouth. 

After five hours of working tirelessly on schoolwork, Newbold gives himself a much needed hour break. His daily pause from Algebra 2 problems and English essays consists of action packed anime or running precisely four laps around his neighborhood. He doesn’t have time for a fifth because it’s back to homework at three. Newbold’s daily detailed schedule keeps him productive during what could be nothing but free time.

In an Instagram poll asking if their quarantine schedule has been more lazy or productive, 76% of East students answered lazily. Being part of the minority, Newbold sees this block of time as an opportunity to get a head start on his highschool years ahead.

Sparking from his elementary schooling in China, Newbold has never seen strict schedules as a challenge, but rather a mission.

“When I see a schedule or list of things to do, I tend to follow it and complete every task before moving on to a separate list or doing things other than what’s on the schedule,” Newbold said. “As I am programmed by my genes and the Sino-American Culture, I must focus and study on all the subjects despite times like these.”

Newbold has workedon the classes he’s currently in such as Algebra 2 and Honors World Regional Studies, while also getting a head start for next year by learning Pre-Calculus and AP European History. When he isn’t in school, he’s working to debunk all the inaccuracies and mistakes of the AP history content.

Despite his self-enforced, strict and productive schedule, Newbold occasionally struggles with finding motivation at times. He describes biology as “a pain in the artery,” and finds the class’s workload to be extremely difficult. 

“Due to the poor environment and conditions in mental and physical terms concentration and motivation is lacking in the worsening situation [of] this pandemic,” Newbold explained.

While a classic school schedule only allows students to spend 50 minutes a day on each subject, the new independence has allowed Newbold to dive deeper into other topics he is passionate about. 

Newbold is now learning the ins and outs of the Japanese and Russian languages, preparing his in-depth analysis of Czechoslovakia and beginning his mastery in table tennis.

“When I was in school, it didn’t leave me much time to do things I want to do,” Newbold said. “Now I [can] spend hours focusing on things that I just wanna learn completely because I’m just interested in them.”