Online Education MUST go ?
I wouldn't be exaggerating if I say that I have been dreaming of a day when I hear these golden words from our Prime Minister, "Mitron, 2020 has been officially discarded and it won't be included in your official age ". Sheer bliss. However, I wake up every time I have these fruitful dreams. Back to reality, Mr. Amogh.
A five-minute swipe on the smartphone takes you to the Internet that is stuffed with online classes and materials to expedite learning during these times of peril. I'm awestruck by the advancement in education technology and how the government bodies are utilizing Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, etc., for keeping the kids interested in learning. You can get a 3D feel of the objects without having to be in a school. Fascinating, isn't it? Well, even that term would be an understatement.
But, once the fanboy moment passes, my brain rewinds - rewinds to the early 2000s. I see a five-year-old kid who is too lazy to leave the comfort of the bed during the monsoon as he is under a cozy blanket beside his grandma. He thinks of all the illnesses he's encountered thus far. Stomach ache? Tried once, didn't work - smart parents. Fever? No symptoms. Laziness? Again, nobody has been victorious in classifying that as a deadly disease. In short, there is no escape from the clutches of the school van that will take him to school. AC DC's 'Highway to Hell' plays in the background. Finally, he accepts the reality, drags his buttocks to the washroom, and curses the guy who had the idea to open a school. A hot water bath early in the morning was the only solace he had.
School begins. Subjects range from Hindi to Mathematics. He knows he has to spend more than five hours here before he can head back home and watch Pokémon and Swat Kats. He counts down the time. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock. The bell strikes. Yes! Home sweet home, baby! I still do not understand why the return journey seems considerably shorter than the onward one. The home was home, there was nothing like it.
As the years progressed, the school didn't interest him much. Being a teacher's son didn't help the cause either. His classmates used to be afraid of parent-teacher meetings that used to take place once every two-three months. For his sister and him, they were indeed a joke, since they had parent-teacher meetings EVERY SINGLE DAY. It is not a hyperbole when I say these were a joke for him, literally. Once, he took his dad to the open house, just for the sake of it. His class teacher had the time of her life after seeing them. She laughed for around 2-3 minutes straight. Hilarious, isn't it? Why bother your dad when your mother is teaching in the same school? Mistake learned, and he vowed never to repeat the same again.
Initially, I used to envy the students who didn't have to go home. They could study while sitting at home. Timely food, no tensions, can wake up late, can eat when hungry, no scolding from teachers, online exams, and an array of such luxuries. More importantly, no morning assemblies that I dreaded initially. HEAVEN! However, when I regurgitate on my school life, I realize how much these kids that are bathing in technology are missing out.
Imagine those days. Attending the morning periods with semi-opened eyes. Waiting for the hour bell for a 2-3 minute chat with your friends and classmates. The first time when you were seated with a girl/boy while your friends devilishly planned your wedding and your future kid's names. Robber and police chase in the ground when you wished you were faster than a cheetah. Ladybugs that ventured out of their safe zones only to be tormented by spoilt brats. The first time you faced the entire school while delivering the pledge during the morning assembly, hoping to not wet your trousers or stutter awkwardly like an idiot. That moment when you developed the courage to express to your crush, only to be severely heartbroken. Learning from the same, and elevating your game to crack the code in the future.
Examinations where you relied on your best pal for last-minute tips to pass the wretched exams. Sports hours that generate enough sweat to power a small turbine and generate electricity for the whole school. That moment when your friends broke a window while playing football, and you ran like nothing else mattered anymore. Dreaded classes after the PT period wherein the teacher asked whether you come to school to become an athlete. Ironically, they didn't even think for a moment and understand the fact that I could easily have been mistaken for a football by my opponents considering how round I was. Shamelessly bragging to your friends about knowing popular seniors so that they would think you are THE man. Activities in school that included drawing, stitching, painting, singing, and dancing. These helped you realize that you AREN'T meant to be an artist, a singer, or a dancer, no matter how hard you tried. Venturing into Orkut and coming up with weird ( hey, I've matured now) usernames like Kaka_Messi. Creating Orkut polls since you were jobless. Bribing your close friends to somehow complete the biology record drawings, as your drawing skills are identical to that of a ....never mind, that would be an insult to all animals. Getting your name called out in the assembly for achievements that none actually care about. Preparing for the notorious board exams by attempting numerous model exams, only to be doleful when the results are announced. Creating smoke in the chemistry lab for reasons that are yet murky. Sneaking in food inside the class and meticulously planning to fall under the teacher's line of sight. Getting excited for your birthday to stand out in the crowd, and later discerning that numerous others were born on the same day as you. Trying to find out the answer to a question that you do not know by seeking your friend's help during a class test, and successfully completing the mission. Getting slapped by a friend for your best friend's mischief. Identifying superior pen brands and going out of the ways to procure them so that you can humble your classmates during the pen fight. Onam, Christmas, Ramayana Week, and Children's day celebrations in school where you could bunk classes left, right and centre. Trying out Harry Potter spells amongst your groupmates. That enthusiasm for wearing the new uniform post the summer vacations. Deciding nicknames for your teachers once the academic year starts. Visiting other institutions and being a part of their inter-school fests. Making friends (and more) in the process. Cheering for your school team at the top of your lungs during sports tournaments, and getting involved in cheerful banter with the opponents. Being snubbed by the decision-makers for positions that you had dedicated your whole life to, and weeping inside so that nobody thinks you are weak. Failing miserably to bury your sorrow and engulfing yourself in your own tears in front of everyone, and appearing weak and brittle. Realizing that people you considered to be an eternal part of your life aren't inevitable, and not many stick with you as the seasons keep changing. Appealing to all the Gods to spare you when you hear that the principal has called you.
Countless other instances that can be experienced firsthand when you attend school.
Online education and homeschooling are finding immense support, especially in countries like the U.S. and Canada. However, I hope that the brick and mortar schooling system continues, and more importantly, flourishes. The personality of a child gets immensely molded after 12 years of schooling. The experiences learned through failures, or successes for that matter will lay the foundation that builds their personality and grit. I didn't understand my mother's decision around 10 years back when she resigned as the Assistant Professor from a renowned college. After rejoining her former school, she said, " The joy that you get when you get to mould a child's future cannot be measured in terms of monetary value". As I get older,( scientists, kindly work on reverse aging technology once the Coronavirus issue is sorted), I am slowly able to fathom her decision with more clarity. Kids are special. Innocent. Divine. Schooling will help them develop, and teachers have the potential to form the spine of the schooling experience. Do not forget that there are teachers who are currently locked in their houses, and dying to interact with the tiny tots. Teachers that are longing to be a part of the child's world, and walk with them by holding their hands. I understand that the current education system requires a high level of transformation. Emphasis should be laid on learning, rather than studying. Blended learning that incorporates technology into traditional schooling will thoroughly help in doing this.
But, I am not looking forward to the time when traditional schools do not exist, and everyone is free to learn from home without the help of teachers. They may become Einsteins and millionaires at the age of 15. No doubt. However, they would be missing out on experiences and lessons that would be worth billions. You may be able to communicate with your friends through social media platforms, and have more time to develop your skills. Still, the joy that you get when you indulge in pointless discussions in class just so that you can be with your pals can't be quantified. School life indeed leaves an indelible mark on your heart, and I am hoping that everyone gets one.
In case you are wondering, online education shouldn't go. It SHOULD stay, forming a symbiotic bond with the traditional system.
Corona, please leave, our children need to attend school - the second home - even if they are lazy and do not want to.
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