JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — For the past eight months, 11Alive has followed 4th grader Alaya Horne's return to the classroom, and now that Fulton County Schools lifted visitor restrictions, 11Alive's Liza Lucas got a chance to join her in the space she spends the majority of her school day.
"This is my classroom," Horne explained, giving a tour of her desk and classroom. "This is where I am most of the time."
With two months to go until summer break, the 10-year-old is feeling pretty good about how things are progressing at school, a dramatic switch from life last year when she learned virtually from home.
"It's been getting a lot better," Horne said. "We haven't talked about COVID as much, which I'm really happy about."
Instead, Horne shared updates on the return of regular activities like in-person student council meetings and lunch dates with her mom and dad.
"We're able to have chorus," she added. "We're able to do stuff."
Horne also spent time showing off her classroom, where the desks have been recently re-arranged in a new format enabling her to sit closer to classmates.
"It looks better and it feels better," she added.
It's all a reminder that life right now is definitely a different experience than what kids like Horne were dealing with a year ago, and she echoed once again how grateful she is to be in the classroom with her teacher and fellow students.
"I'm ok with the hardest test in the world," she said. "I said this on my first episode. I'd do the hardest test in the world, just to be back here."
Editor's Note: The Learning Curve is an ongoing series on 11Alive and 11Alive.com that will follow the stories of local students as they navigate this unprecedented school year.