ONLINE CLASSES
Okay guys, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Online classes. Love them or hate them, you just can’t get rid of them. Technology has progressed so much that school has encroached into the holy refuge that is our homes, despite the world being closed for weeks on end. As if homework wasn’t enough of a crime! Through last two week, I have been doing meticulous research about the nature of online classes and I stumbled upon interesting conclusions (I’m just kidding- I have an opinion, you have an opinion, and that’s enough for me to sit down and write this article).
We did a poll on The Green Pages official Instagram about the readers’ opinions on online school, and the results came out pretty balanced, with a slight tip towards being against online school. I understand the split mind because you can’t simply package online classes in one stance: it’s a complex ordeal replete with contradictions, disagreements, and of course, connectivity issues. We also asked you all about your thoughts on the topic, and dare I say, we got some pretty creative answers which we absolutely in no way condone here at The Green pages, no thank you.
The mind-blowing thing about online classes is the fact that you do not need to go to school! I know, it can be a little hard to digest, but bear with me. You don’t need to go to school! You can learn from the safety of your own home, away from the nasty dangers of COVID-19. Just throw on a school shirt and make yourself marginally presentable. No one needs to know what’s going on beneath your desk: just smile and wave! Feeling lethargic today? No worries put on some pajamas and let’s learn about the wonders of biomolecules. Is it a day for some drama? Wear a full Victorian skirt beneath your PE Shirt and channel your inner Jane Austen. What better way to while away in quarantine! The bottom rule(pun intended): keep it clandestine. There is no doubt that your optical illusion sweatpants are, as the kids say, “rad”. However, we are learning, and your pants are not invited. Our eyes are already getting worse by the second, and we do not want your pants to lay the final blow.
However, there are other wholesome benefits to school from home: kids do not need to get up before dawn simply to commute to school. The classroom is just one click away. The timetable is also not as rigorous as we were used with breaks in between to unwind and rest your eyes. The sessions are also recorded which makes missing classes a thing of the past. If you see the recording, you’ll never be left behind. Online classes have your back wherever you are in this country or any other country for that matter.
Teachers are also putting in earnest effort into adapting to this new environment and maintaining the attention of their students. Every step taken to promote interest in the class is a valiant deed. It’s not easy speaking to a metal box when you are used to a room of people. Of course, ensuring class participation is difficult, and sometimes the class dissolves into a static silence, but interaction still happens, and it allows some of the quieter pupils a chance to voice their issues. Tests are a whole other hurdle which looms ahead of our school as we progress deeper into the academic year.
Online classes, obviously, have an eminent dark side. Our vibrant school experience has been reduced to a screen after all.
The cheeky small intricacies of class life are lost in the depths of Microsoft Teams, and the faces of students are a rare glimpse into how they are doing in this pandemic. The senior-most batch is still grieving over their lost final year of schooling. Every grade is complaining about the insane amount of screen time we are dosed with. The worst-hit would be the newcomers. They did not get to experience life at normal Greenwood. The only Greenwood they saw was the Greenwood on Teams. That’s a pretty different school than what we were introduced to. They still found their place and are quickly on their way to be a part of us. A battle is a battle, and we must fight on. Online classes are a small price to pay in the face of the monster that is the world situation.
There are lighter moments, and true high school shenanigans cannot be stopped by a paltry computer screen. We have heard many-a-tale of unintentional unmutes, chipper banter in the start of the classes, and the bane of educational institutions: “Ma’am, connectivity issues.”
I cannot blame the children for these for, the Wi-Fi is treacherous and many times it makes the faces in front of you look like shapeless blobs. Before you realize it, you are kicked out of the meeting and the teacher has been calling for you for the past 5 minutes. Thus, begins the quest to find another reliable window into the internet to take your place in the virtual classroom.
The best part about online classes is that it provides the most unique school experience. No two students will be spending online school in the same way. Every person has their own brand of “connectivity issues”, and the lives behind the screen are as vibrant as ever. Teachers and students are banding together to tune into the same frequency and plough through the school year anyway. Greenwood is Greenwood, online or offline.
Some favourite online school moments:
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