Status Update: Delving into online learning

This semester has been the most bizarre and most unprecedented one throughout my college life — or my whole education life, for that matter. Never in a million years did I imagine myself stuck at home, facing my gadgets all day and all night. I was always opposed to the idea of homeschooling because I believe that the best way to learn something is to see and experience it with your own eyes. Given the circumstances that have transpired within the past months, though, I guess we were left with no choice.

It certainly was not easy. I still remember the first day of class vividly until now. It was just the orientation day, and we did not really do anything other than listen to the house rules, the syllabus, and the requirements for each course. At the end of the day, however, I have already noticed how tired I was and how my whole body ached — my back, my shoulders, my eyes, my neck, and even my head. It was also hard to steer away from the noise inside our house, for there are many kids playing. Because we are enjoined to open our cameras all the time, I also found myself being hungry, since our schedule is more than six hours straight with only five minutes of break in between classes. I can hardly call it a break, though, because some professors want us to be in the meeting room five minutes before the time.

Lo and behold, the first two months of online classes went by, and each passing day felt heavier than the rest. I forced myself to become accustomed to this new normal, because that’s how it should be. People need to continue working and studying, because the need for sustenance and education never stops amid a major pandemic. I tried to develop a routine — wake up at 6 am to attend online church gathering, have breakfast at 7:30, finish all the requirements that I can before 10 am, then tutor my niece for two hours. By the time I get back, I will eat my lunch while watching the videos for our asynchronous learning. Then I’ll get ready for my class that starts at 2:30 pm and ends at 9. I’ll do anything that I can until 1 am. Repeat.

I have been repeating that schedule for quite some time and I felt my body getting burned out day by day. I had no time to rest — to breathe, and even then, I still cannot finish my endless requirements. I barely talk to my friends anymore, I could not join my family at the dining table, and I could not even help with basic household chores. On top of that, I can almost say that the only thing that I have learned thus far is how to finish a meal within five minutes. My professors are doing their best to teach us, and I am not blaming them for they are also affected with this situation. My point is, our current circumstance actually hinders us from learning. Instead of online learning, it seemed like what we are doing are online requirements alone because we are so focused on getting our workloads done, that we don’t have any more time to do our primary goal — to learn.

After three weeks, my body gave up and I had a major flu. That was when I realized that indeed, health is wealth. I did not pressure myself and my body anymore. I made sure that I get at least seven hours of sleep every day, and I devoted to eating my meals on time. I don’t let myself get disappointed whenever I receive a low score, because I know that I did my best. I no longer burden myself with all my responsibilities, and started taking tasks one at a time. I took the time to rest. And I prayed — a lot — hoping that all these would be over soon enough.

LAYOUT BY: Chester P. Cortez