NEW YEAR, SAME SCENE?

By Danna Gonsalves

Every student felt it at the start of the New Year. . .

At the back of each of their minds, there lay an unmentionable burden: the truth that school requirements were not yet over and instead, were rearing their deadlines closer and closer. Holiday celebrations were dulled by the anxious weight of heavy to-do-lists while another pressure — the pressure to deliver both honor AND excellence — have left students, as well as teachers, in a binding chokehold.

For educators and students alike, nothing is more suffocating than the idea of having to set real-world problems aside for the sake of a lesson plan. Yet, it seems that nothing can be done about it other than to push through and persevere. Two years of a health crisis have gone by and once more, transmission rates in the nation are rising, daily cases are overwhelming, hospitals and healthcare workers are panicking, and faculties and students are (again) subjected to online learning. . . at least, only until January 31 — the date that Prospero De Vera III, the ​​Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair, scheduled for the resumption of limited face-to-face classes in areas under Alert Level 3.

Now, apart from the virus that is literally lingering in the air, there is also tension and apprehension for what’s to come. Without a newly-adjusted and concrete plan for the implementation of a safe back-to-school program, students and teachers are left with no choice but to comply with the government’s risky policies. For the time being, they are keeping their eyes glued to their screens. Although the idea of online schooling was never a crowd-favorite among students, the arrival of the new and severe wave of Omicron situates the youth in between a rock and a hard place. To remind audiences of the realities of online school, MKule decided to interview three (3) recently graduated students to see how online schooling had affected their last few stretches of college experience:

“I was personally burnt out last semester and I had almost no motivation to finish requirements. . . I felt na wala masyadong natutunan sa online schooling. . . ​​Parang di na rin nag-k-klase ‘yung mga estudyante kasi pagod na, pero mas lalo na rin ‘yung mga profs.”

For Dariel, a 23-year old BA Development Studies graduate and nursing shiftee, F2F classes would have been the better avenue to grant him the skills and experiences needed for his course. He says that the social situations would have pushed him to gain the motivation, confidence, and will to be better. Instead, the restrictions of online interaction made it difficult to become a proper student: “I wouldn’t be hiding behind a camera, I would be picking up lessons as a collective with my fellow classmates in a classroom. . . Online school makes students feel left alone and isolated.” For now, Dariel spends his time developing new skills in the midst of the pandemic, and becoming more conscious of what he wants and what he doesn’t want for his future.

For Janelle, a 23-year old BA Behavioural Sciences graduate, her practicum internship was one of the things she felt most underwhelmed and disappointed over. For her, balancing it all was a difficult situation; having to manage family affairs, an individual thesis, and her internship requirements:

“Nakakahinayang ‘yung internship for 3rd year and 4th year. Di na na-experience ‘yung sa field kasi naging online ‘yong lahat. From the three choices of practicum — museum, field work sa Banaue, or service sa PGH psych ward — naging lecture-type nalang ‘yung practicum. . . and depende pa sa Professor ‘yung approach kasi kanya-kanyang teaching style o diskarte nalang.”

Despite experiencing a mixed learning tactic toward her practicum, Janelle couldn’t help but feel a little lacking in the skills department; claiming that there was a lot she had missed out on and that the education within her batch grew uneven. Although she states that her last stretch of college experience was still enriching, there was still an ounce of regret, especially toward her virtual graduation and feeling like a “totoong hilaw” student. Between a BA in Development Studies and BA in Behavioural Sciences, the practicum experience is among one of the common requirements.

And for Mika, a recently graduated 22-year old from UPM’s BS Biology program — now in her first year as an aspiring doctor at UPM’s College of Medicine — the sadness came from not being able to see classmates, from having to conduct computer-based laboratory classes, and from having to navigate and adjust to tricky online tests and applications, such as the National Medical Admission Test, alone.

“I could have learned and practiced more laboratory-skills if it was done through F2F classes. . . [And] socially, I would have personally

thrived more, because now it takes time for me to be comfortable around people.”

These are only some of the realities of an online schooling experience amid a pandemic, and although schools are already aware of them, the emergence of Omicron and Delta’s variant surges have caused initiatives for safe F2F to be thrown off course. Despite the administration’s discussions and roadmapped plans, several circumstances have fallen out of their control: the massive height of COVID-19’s new and unprecedented surge, the drastic effects of Typhoon Odette, and the imperative need for full vaccination and booster shots among students and faculty. Without the addressal of all these concerns, F2F classes simply should not push through. . . yet its importance remains:

How important do you think the Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela (Safe Resumption of

Classes) call is? How important do you think it is for all degree programs to go

back to school again?

Dariel: “Very important. We always see these rants in social media na bukas na ang Enchanted Kingdom, bukas na ang mga malls, etc. Mas importante pa ba yun sa school? If we were in a school mas obedient pa ata tayo sa rules for social distancing, sanitizing, face-mask wearing. I feel like all of those would be followed, really. So what’s the reason for the delay?”

Janelle: “I think it depends on the current severity of the situation [kasi] mahirap na rin, but personally, yes, [for F2F classes]. . . Pero kailangan ng proper preparations talaga: protocols kung saan lalabas at saan papasok, proper measurements and surveys sa mga needs ng students from all courses, assessments sa current situations nila, at kung ano ba ang proposal natin [as a student body]. Syempre gusto naman natin lahat ng courses mag f2f pero take into consideration other students na hindi rin from Manila.”

What would you like to say to the students who are having a hard time with the online school set-up? Do you have any words of encouragement?

Mika: “I want people to, hopefully, take it one day at a time and just keep trying their best not to pressure themselves more. The situation in itself is already really hard. So, you know, just take your time and don’t compare yourself with other people’s progress. You have to take care of yourself too.”

The new year continues with mounting tension and apprehension in the air, as much as the mounting COVID cases that the country receives daily. Online schooling was never easy for students, especially for those born with less privileges. With whatever is to come regarding the reopening of schools, all students and teachers pray for is that their government won’t abandon them and that ultimately, their demands will be met.