Redefining Education During a Pandemic
This essay was submitted as part of the FCSS-FESC’s Beyond the Page Essay Contest. As such, it represents the opinions of Hamidah Moyosoreoluwa Oderinwale and is not representative of the official stance of the FCSS-FESC.
In early 2020, COVID-19 took Canada by surprise. As a result: life as we knew it would be changed indefinitely, rapid measures were taken to prevent the spread in educational institutions across the country, leaving students, parents and teachers with the option of teaching and learning online. Before COVID-19, students were conditioned to an in-person learning structure that allowed for accessible communication between students and teachers and a system developed for student success. However, the nature of the situation led to a rushed solution which we consider “online learning” that has proven to leave already struggling students behind and provide a minority of high-achievers to excel — exacerbating the already present inequities in education.
The new educational model is not novel to all students. Niche private schools across the nation have been experimenting and implementing completely virtual schooling, even using “quadmesters,” a new term for many that implies taking two courses for two months four times a year. Blyth Academy is a prominent example with a completely virtual campus, with four terms a year which they boast their paying students thrive in. In contrast, many students have struggled to succeed in home environments filled with distractions, lack of resources and no one-on-one support. Many provinces have worked to provide technology to students, Ontario, offering broadband internet access through Rogers and tablets provided through Apple, with a subsidized internet program and the delivery of devices for in-need students. Nonetheless, on the surface, these seem like entirely adequate measures. However, there has been much outrage from stakeholders due to the lack of support.
As a high school student, it is difficult not to acknowledge academic dishonesty with minimal supervision during testing. With class averages increasing and a lack of teacher support, it seems inevitable that students would fall victim to desperate measures. Although students may not suffer the impacts of habits built now, secondary school students may risk lacking foundational knowledge for post-secondary success. It is too early to tell, but it is assumed that first-year dropout rates in universities may grow as students are forced to abide by stricter academic integrity practices.
Fast-paced learning means more frequent testing. With assessments every week, the common goal is to understand material enough to pass and then move onto the next topic to prepare for the following week. Engaging activities — once done in class to promote active learning are now obsolete, leaving students with no other option than to learn rushed content passively. I find myself waking up at 8:00 am staring at a computer screen till late hours in the night due to the lack of separation between school, relaxation and extracurriculars.
Online learning has disabled student camaraderie. Grade 12 students who spent their younger high school years looking forward to graduation are now left with the disturbing reality that the only feasible option is an online ceremony. Decreasing student motivation to succeed. Students build pride, confidence and learn with the help of their peers. With that absence, students, including myself, are left with stress, anxiety and even depression about what the future holds and, most importantly, wondering about the purpose of it all. The time where we could walk to the front of the classroom to seek clarification on a problem or even strike up a conversation with a teacher is gone — leaving us with no option but to feel helpless and alone. Although schools have the purpose of providing students with information, students expect to develop socially — an opportunity lost during the age of online learning.
Ultimately, provincial school boards and administrators across the nation have been working on implementing online learning as the world moves towards a digital future. Budget cuts and dramatic shifts in education have made virtual learning inevitable — the pandemic was merely an accelerator in pursuing a new learning model. COVID-19 took away a massive aspect of the lives of youth across the world, the question of whether the quality of education has diminished during these unprecedented times is ultimately unanswerable with a multitude of factors, inequities and variables that have come to light as students have tried to adapt to a new normal.
This essay was submitted as part of the FCSS-FESC’s Beyond the Page Essay Contest. As such, it represents the opinions of Hamidah Moyosoreoluwa Oderinwale and is not representative of the official stance of the FCSS-FESC.
Originally published on April 13, 2021.
