NAME: SHERIE ANN LOBRIGO

GRADE: 11-STEM

SUBJECT: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

TEACHER: ANTHONY ARIAS

Education is a Privilege or a Right to this time of pandemic?

I believe that education is one of the important aspect of becoming successful in life, but because of
the Covid-19 pandemic, the education system in the Philippines drastically changed in order to adapt to
the "new normal". A lot of students and teachers are having hard time coping with the situation on how
to adjust into the learning and teaching environment because of some factors that are problematic such
as unstable internet connection, since face to face classroom setting seems impossible because of the
circumstances and also the ability of every students and teachers to afford the internet.

I assume that this pandemic really overwhelmed a lot of people that every time you would listen to
the radio, watch television and read a social media post, you can't help but feel afraid. I feel bad for
those who want to pursue their study but they can not because of lack of budget. In my own
understanding, this kind of educational setting is only favorable for those who are wealthy enough to
afford it mainly because they probably have emergency funds that would be able to last them through
the entire pandemic without even worrying about whether they will still have a food to eat for
tomorrow.

At this times I can say I have freedom because I can continue my education even though there are
still complications such as having this kind of pandemic and changing the way of teaching. Another
factor is the financial capability of parents to afford the seemingly unreasonable tuition fees of schools
and universities, the gadgets that their children would need to access the online learning environments
which are too expensive for a jobless parent, which we all know that a lot of them got laid off at work
because of the pandemic, and not everyone has a job as of the moment, and even if they do have a job,
there is still the question of whether they can afford to enroll their children to these schools. As a result,
a lot of students are forced to opt-in skipping the school year because of these circumstances.

What are your expectations with regards to online classes? And how can it affect you to be a better
student in today’s time?
 For me, this type of education which is online is a bit too far for what I am expecting because
students and teachers are having hardship in managing their time about this so-called “New Normal”
however this type of education is not really effective, unlike the traditional class we can easily
understand the topics are given to us.

And my prospects regards to online classes are just simple. To learn of course. To gain the
knowledge that somehow even though I cannot fully obtain the natural way, I can still make use of. This
online class brings a negative and positive effect on me First, I'll be able to develop and discover my
technical skills and I'll also learn how to discipline and manage my time. Second, is this will affect my
health, too much using the gadget at might cause blurred vision due to radiation.

As a matter of fact, this kind of online learning is needed a lot of actions because I know some of the
teachers will give us numerous task to accomplish and that makes me worry and pressure that I will
have difficulties managing my time and as a daughter, I have responsibilities to do too and that is to
finish the house chores and the same as being a student at this time. And now I realize that time is gold.
To sum it up, an online class can affect me in many ways. And I'm a bit pessimistic to the idea of the
online class itself. But I am born and raised as a Filipino. This kind of challenge cannot bring me down.

In your own part, what are the difficulties and challenges you are facing in an online class? And how can
you manage it?

At this point of time I'm frustrated with this so-called online class because of the poor internet
connection and working on assignment with the short deadline given by the teachers and this situation
makes me exhausted because it does not mean that we’re just at home and doing activities we won’t
feel tiredness, but I assure that I can manage to do my homework and pass my assignments on time.

For me, the first challenging to do is managing my own time because I have a lots of obligation and
chores to do in our house, unlike the traditional class I only need to focus on my studies without getting
interrupted by just going to school, so as of now I really need to manage every single of my time to
maintain my study and responsibilities as a daughter inside the house. Second is that I can be easily
distracted from my work. There are times that I need to search something on google but then a
notification will pop up from facebook. So instead of getting my work done, I'll be dragged to something
that isn't what I am suppose to do. There are also times that I have too much of a work loads and then
procrastination will slap me in my face so it would end up unfinished. Being distracted from my goals
makes it harder for me to cope up while facing online class.

Anyway, due to my time management problems, distractions, procrastination, chores and such it's
really difficult for me. So somehow I manage to think of a plan like setting a routine of what am I
suppose to do. I created a list of the things that needs to be done, and I will set a timer on how long do I
need to work on that matter. Its effective for me. It makes my tasks looks easier though in reality they
are really not. But sometimes my routines were kinda' messed up due to the other factors that really
hinders my time. We cannot expect that life would always go the way we wanted, so I always prepare
some back up plans if needed. And that concludes my essay about dufficulties and challenges that I face
in an online class and how do I manage to survive with it.

As a student adjusting in a new normal of education, what is the readiness you did in facing this kind of
dilemma?

As the summer winds down, there are still many unknowns about what school will look like in some
communities. The Government together with the other sectors planned the 'online classes' to amend in
providing quality education while keeping everyone safe. Regardless of this matter, there are a lot of
uncertainties regarding on how we would organize them. Honestly we are not prepared on performing
an online class. There are a lot of things that we need, there are a lot of people who can't afford this
kind of system. The resources were scarce, and the help from the Government can't reach everyone
specially those who belongs to marginalized sectors. Some of them were forced to sell their dignity than
glorify it just to be in touch with the memorandum.

Its really hard to adjust specially if we are undergoing a major deficiency. So as a student, I prepared
myself on this matter by making sure that I have planned correctly. I calculated on how things will go if I
choose a certain decision whether I'll prefer an online or a modular type of class. I planned to make a
schedule to manage my time wisely. Lessen my distractions. And of course I will not slack off just
because its already online class. I also planned to enhance my concentration for me to be able to adapt
easily to online class. Because listening online is harder than the normal way of teaching.

The class just started and I know that I am prepared but not 100%. Adapting is hard. The lessons are
hard. But who am I to complain? There are others who experience much worst than me. I'll just cheer
myself up to be able to pull through this challenge.

What can you do to be more productive and innovative everyday online even if we were new to this
kind system of education?

To every student, our educational system is an uncharted territory where tons of unanswered
questions lies. As a student, we are expected to be productive predominantly under the surveillance of
our teachers in our classrooms. But our situation right now gives us the convenience to a limitless access
to our mobile devices and different platforms that is a pure distraction that hinders us from focusing on
studying. Netflix, YouTube, online games, social media accounts, online shopping...These are some of
the main factors that can make us pretty easy to get distracted. Let's be honest, studying while staring at
your screen about eight hours a day can drain your life force out of you. So in order to be productive and
innovative while keeping on track along with the idea of exploring through the areas of your life that you
may have been neglecting before Covid-19 we should have a clear goal on what we wanted.

First we need to have a decent daily routine. As a student who's taking up an online class having a
decent daily routine is the cornerstone to productivity. Ideally you can just make a planner notebook or
on the notes app in your phone. You don't have to be specific on the routine as life will always be as
unpredictable as ever. With a routine you can plan on how many hours will you spent on studying and
doing household chores. And of course to schedule your free time for watching Netflix series, playing
games or any other time spenders. Second is we need to get rid of our distractions so we can study
efficiently. Our phone is a major factor here. Every time a notification pops up we would get distracted.
So for the mean time when we are studying we should turn off our phones and distance our selves from
it when we study. Third is track your tasks and time. It is important to track our tasks and time. First we
need to create a list of our assignments, projects or to submit outputs. Then we need to split our time
on how may hours we need to do our tasks. Fourth is create a designated study space. We all know that
a study space will help you be productive. A good example is a desk in our bedroom. Our brain needs to
be conditioned to be productive. Fifth is make a list of break times. Sitting all day can cause you back
pain. So we need to move around a little boosts ourselves on doing what needs to be done.

Sixth is keeping in touch with our classmates. Collaborating with our notes and homework can be a
huge help for studying. There are times that we need help on the activity so we need to ask to have
some discussion, virtually of course. Seventh is make a playlist. Music is powerful. It can boost you up for
studying. And hey, some studies says that some classical music’s can sharpen our focus. Lastly
remember that the class just started, there's no time to slack off or be a procrastinator. We need to do
what needs to be done. Because having an online class during pandemic is a tough roller coaster ride.
But we know someday that all of these handwork will pay off.

Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of online to you as a student.

Flexibility. Online classes gives flexibility to student's schedules whether on what time are they
available. They can take it on a morning shift or night shift. If possible they can take it whole day. Easy
access. Online classes are easier to access than the regular means of studying. You can just open your
device, connect to the internet and viola! You're already connected. You will never effort on going to
school just to study. And last but not the least, the fact that its more convenient for students. The
internet makes it possible for every students to ask questions and receive an answer immediately.
Online classes would definitely make our lives a lot easier. Online classes are good for someone who
excels in individual activities, as compared to group works, although there are still group work, online
individual learning are more prominent than the grouped one's to avoid hassle. However, Philippines
being a third world country, along with the economic consequences brought by the Covid-19 pandemic,
the slow internet connection, and lack of equipments makes online classes a lot more difficult.

There are always technical difficulties. In learning management there are times that the answers
kept on changing or the answers were not recorded. And usually those kind of situation may affect the
student's grade or performance. During online video calls, the online discussion were interrupted by the
lags and the physical noise in the background. Since the calls were live, there are times that you will be
disconnected due to internet network failure. And because of these cases students like me will miss the
topics that are being discussed. Its not like the lessons were recorded. Honestly speaking, for me online
class will never be that effective unlike the traditional method. There are a lot of subjects that require
technical stuff, laboratories, and other things that online learning cannot provide. We will miss those
subjects in the mean time since we really can't do those stuffs virtually. Its not like everyone has a strong
internet connection. Online class is somewhat unfair.

As a student, I'm hoping that DepEd (Department of Education) and ChEd (Commission on Higher
Education) will exhaust all platforms in order to still be able to cater to us students, specially those on
marginalized sectors. Online learning might be a solution for some but not for all because we need to be
considerate of those who doesn’t have any access from technology or internet. Therefore I conclude
that online learning is not as effective and will never be as effective as the onsite learning because
teachers and professors play a vital role in education. This concludes my essay about the advantages and
disadvantages of online class.

As a student how can you build up an individual experiencing difficulties in this new normal education
system?

New normal educational system, being the most prominent type of class that we are encouraged to do
so during Covid-19 Pandemic, is already having a fair show despite posing challenges on both student
and teacher. While instructors need to put in intensive work and time to design the instruction, us
students need to equip ourselves with technical proficiency to decode the learning material.

It is very understandable if a student who wasn't into techy stuffs have a hard time coping up. So having
a basic fundamental knowledge of computer hardware would help them participate in online classes
without interruptions or any hindrances. Students with a “traditional” mindset find it difficult to adapt;
however, they need to accept the new learning circumstances with an open mind and heart.
Understanding the benefits of online classes and even discussing them with their peers may change this
mindset and better prepare students for online classes.

Self-motivation is very essential requirement in Online Learning; however, many online learners lack it,
much to their surprise. After enrolling in distance learning courses, many learners fall behind and
nurture the idea of giving up, as difficulties in handling a technological medium also seem
insurmountable. Students need to find the motivation to follow the new educational trends and also
properly equip themselves for future challenges in their education and careers. Only a positive attitude
will help them overcome the challenges in 'New Normal' educational system; though this is hard to
practice, students need to understand that it is necessary in order to reap the Online Class’ benefits in
the future. And that concludes my essay.

Give at least 5 class rules as a student, make sure it's relevant to you.

Right now we are challenged to build and maintain a disciplined, respectable and goal oriented class
online due to Covid-19 pandemic. Its difficult to govern a class the natural way, what more if its online?
So to keep everything organized under the palms of the class officers and the teachers, we should
prioritize a proper classroom management that includes developing rules that will guide students to
learn and to set expectations around the classroom.

A community like classroom gives a lot of benefits such as improved students academics, respectful
discussions, growth mindset and many more. Rules can help to establish those of course. Have a good
attitude. That's the foundation to build a community like classroom. If you want to be treated like a
human, treat others like a human too. Listen to all teachers. There's no further explanation to this. If you
really want to learn, you should listen to your teacher. Its not their loss if you don't listen to them, its
yours.

Be respectful to others' ideas. Ideas are what makes everything full of wonders. Everyone's ideas
matters. Cooperate with your classmates. This is very essential. Everyone in a class should treat each of
them like a family. Because no matter what happen they will always got your back. Cooperation is the
key to a community like ,.Always do your best. We should always do our best so in the end we will not
have any regrets. Like "I should've been like that, like this". Just be confident. I know you can do it.