Isolation and Education from Student’s POV
There is a lot to learn from isolation and a lot that hasn't been learnt yet. When the news of school’s closing was first approaching I was hesitant and also in a state of denial. School has always meant so much to me and even through the stress, the early mornings and late nights that were created for it I loved it and still do. So how will schools change during this pandemic? How will I change during this pandemic and how will I learn and grow?
On one hand I do believe that there is a lot of good to come out of this pandemic. I feel like many students including me will appreciate school so much more as a result. Even the small things like having the door being held open for you, getting a piece of physical and palpable work to do or the after school buzz of people leaving, mean so much more to me now. I always became slightly upset after hearing someone complain about a lesson, subject or teacher when I was in school but now I feel like that might change. This provides me with much solace and hope.
Teachers will be provided with the opportunity to rethink learning and what the core of it is. The noun education originally comes from a Latin word which means “to bring/draw out”. I understand that many of us and most of the teaching community are going through the process of adapting to isolation and unfortunately some are dealing firsthand with the impacts of the pandemic but for those few people in the teaching community the question of What do we want to “bring out” of our students? What skills do we want to teach them? What topics do we want to see them become excited about? This of course may be a challenge for teachers to explore at the moment but when we do come back to school I believe these questions will be raised. “Education is what remains after you have forgotten what you were taught” and as Richard Feynman has expressed in his twitter account (that I spend a bit too much time scrolling down on), teaching is about teaching students to question what they read and study. Teaching them to doubt and teaching them to think. Ofsted and every other higher power that is out there, I believe, won’t stop teachers from deviating from the fact that sometimes they need to teach things that their students need to inculcate into their memory but I know this won’t stop many teachers from teaching their students to value what they are being taught when they can.
I miss school. I find myself remembering small but lovely memories from school at random points in the day and I have to admit I have had moments of realisation that have ended in tears. I don’t know when I will come back to school and that worries me. I don’t know when I will next be sitting in a D&T lesson hearing my teacher mention their lovely kid or be sat in an interesting discussion in English that has philosophical roots. And one of the hardest things that I feel now is a deep desire to help. To have purpose while I am still healthy and while I have so much time on my hands. I guess that is why I have started this blog. I want to move forward and have collected a few hobbies to pursue but I want to talk to you, or whoever might be reading this blog about school. About learning. About anything that brings me joy or ignites fervour in me.
It’s hard to not be in school at the moment because being there was what gave me a sense of purpose. I was lucky enough to go to a school where I was surrounded by role models front left, right and center. Teachers who didn’t mind me asking them questions about how they got into teaching. Teachers who put a smile on my face. It is important for me to somehow continue that as that is the dose of normality that I need.
Keep on keeping on
The world keeps turning and even though the idea of wearing my pajamas and eating ice cream everyday does seem tempting it only helps my well being when practised seldom. (But hey if that’s what makes you happy go ahead and do that). Everyone is coping differently and for many of my friends online schooling is something that we are trying to get through without taking a day break, without getting behind on work. I’ve found some time to knit, attempt to fix my sleep schedule, learn more Russian and work out almost everyday. Hopefully I will be creating some posts relating to that soon. I hope you are going at your own pace and taking care of your well being when you can because that is what matters the most.
Take care,
The Pantophile.
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