While a majority of us, including myself, regularly take online courses are accustomed, many other students are not used to this lifestyle. Online school is a lifestyle. It is harder and challenging, in my opinion. Many of us have no option other than taking online college courses due to different reasons. While I m stationed on the other side of the globe, many others prefer to do it from the commodity of their homes or simply because they like the flexibility that online school offers. Right now, the world is facing a pandemic, the Covid-19.
The Covid-19 situation ruined my wonderful trip to some amazing countries and the chance to see my oldest sister, whom I have not seen in more than a year. Not only has the situation worsened his past two weeks, but it has made some changes to the world, including the U.S educational system. With schools closing due to the pandemic, students are forced to shift onto distance learning.
Governments all around the world have closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the global pandemic. Many parents and students are facing hard times because many are not used to this lifestyle, but somehow have to adapt to pass their classes. Meanwhile, many low-income family students rely on school food, and being out of school makes it a challenge. Besides, many parents are facing difficulty in staying home and watch their children because some jobs, including the military, require us to work even longer hours now. With schools and after school/daycare centers closed, I am forced to bring my son to work every day, exposing him to the virus.
Nonetheless, in times like these, we realize how important and vital education is. Scientists are working hard on finding a cure to the virus. Doctors and the rest of the medical field are saving lives and protecting those who are most vulnerable. Teachers are working hard from home or school to keep our children educated.
Hey there! I’m sorry to hear you lost out on some experiences you were planning on due to this crisis, that definitely stinks! For me, there wasn’t too many changes because obviously, I go to school online but I also work from home already. So, there were no changes made to my job, like a lot of people had to do. I’ve heard from some friends that going from working in an office/facility to working from home was a very hard change. I’ve been working from home for about 3 years now, so its pretty normal, but it definitely was a change from working in person previously for many, many years. So, I definitely empathize with those changes.
Where I live, schools have been closed for almost a month. We haven’t done online learning yet because theres a significant issue with children in our district having access to the internet. Our school district just got approved to assist with that though, so the plan is to have remote learning set up in the next two weeks.
This has been a big change for me, because I am not cut out to be a teacher. I’ve been trying to take over and help my daughter keep up and learn, but it’s EXTREMELY hard. I have a feeling that remote learning is going to be a challenge for the kids also. It’s a very new experience, like you said. And a lot of these kids are little and still learning how to use the computer!
Good luck with everything & stay safe!
Hi. Sorry that you have to bring your child to work with you to put under risk. 🙁 I know these are challenging and scary times. I am glad some K-12 schools were already sending parents some work and some districts already planning alternative means to ensure the kids don’t fall behind during this crisis and extended time off from learning and being at school.
Far as colleges, I know it most definitely is difficult for some students to do distance learning online. I am grateful that I have done many of my classes on line even at my community college so I am already used to it and relieved! As Dr. Nelson said, basically business as usual.
I have talked to my own son who does not like it, and says it is too difficult for him. He prefers in classroom learning. So distance learning is definitely not for everyone. Me personally, I think that it is easier not only to maneuver around busy work and home life schedules, but you have more material at your fingertips that may not or often does not come up in the classroom.
The questions you may want to ask are already shared usually by another student or two in a discussion forum, and there is a lot of material that you can review over and over and access things. I find that I learn more, but only when the instructor has an engaging set up with his students and is accessible.
I have overall enjoyed my classes that I have taken online and am grateful to it. I hope that all who have not had to take any, get through their difficulties with it and don’t experience too much anxiety. It is a blessing for many, even those who do not prefer it, as it allows one to continue learning and working towards completing their educational goals no matter what is going on, even in this critical time that we are current in with this Coronavirus.