The choice to learn

As the start of another school year approaches, parents are faced with the choice of either letting their children continue with or allowing them to be behind. With the pandemic, the Department of Education has recommended to postpone face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available. Teachers have two options: to send modules to students or have them go online. Both are different approaches with the same lessons.

However, a video showing a female teenager gave a different perspective on online classes. She spoke with spite to this method of teaching at a time when others are calling out to freeze the academic year. Online teaching has already been existent but has not been fully explored. The option is available not only in public schools. Some private schools have opted to do so.

We cannot just freeze the academic calendar because students must continue with their learning.

With the different quarantine status in place, even workers are allowed to go back to their jobs. This isn’t an excuse for students. The lockdown period has been too long for them to be stagnant and time is running. We cannot afford that the students miss a year because of the virus. It is like our life depends on the littlest thing, the enemy that we cannot see. When we do, it is giving victory to this intruder. It is better if we go around it and find ways.

COVID-19 should also not be an excuse for learning to stop. I mean, there shouldn’t be any reason to. If the issue is the expense incurred in getting internet connection and whatsoever, then nobody is forcing you to. DepEd has been looking for alternative ways to deliver instruction. So to say that online learning is a pain in the bottom is merely a statement of a lazy person.

We must remember that education has always been and will always be the key to an informed citizenry. Are we content today that we have people who believe in fake news rather than those that are being reported by legitimate news sites? Heck, these teenagers who do not like online classes are even out in the streets because of boredom and exposing themselves to the virus.

I know things will never be the same in the world of the academe as they try to shift to the new normal. Instead of whining and waiting for everything to dwindle down, we must also move forward. Life isn’t going to get better sitting down or staying in because of the quarantine. Instead, we should be thankful for the education department of doing their job amid the pandemic.

August 24 is just around the corner and it will be a “wait and see” game. We don’t know it will go about and how the children will respond. If you are a parent, I suggest you back up as a secondary teacher in this very challenging time. If you are a student and are reading this, please stop calling out to freeze the academic year. There is so much to learn in this way. Online or not, learning must never stop.