General Topic:

Half-day rule to be implemented once face-to-face classes are allowed

Working Title:
Perception on the Implementation of the Half-day Rule When Face-to-face Classes
Resume.

Thesis Statement: With the Philippines still stuck in quarantine for over a year, I oppose
the idea of implementing the half-day rule when face-to-face classes resume.

I. The education quality will be compromised

A_ Only accommodate 20 students in a 7x9 meters in size classroom___
1_Other students who enroll may not be accommodated _________________
2_Not enough classrooms if the institution decides to make more sections to
accommodate all the students ______________________________________
B_ lesser time would be allocated for each subject ________________________
1. _Maximum of five classes in a large school all. All five classes would have to
be divided into the number of hours in that “half day.” This, as a result,
lessens the time for each subject. Since lesser time is being allocated for each
subject, there is a higher chance that students wouldn’t be able to learn as
much_________________________________________________________
2. _Doing the projects and other activities may end up being more of a hustle
because all subjects are always in a rush to finish the work. _____________

II. _ Put each other's health and lives at risk ________________________________

A. _ The chance of catching the virus is higher ___________________________
1. _ The classrooms in our school are airconditioned. This means that the
virus could potentially just roam within the four walls of the room.
According to Edward Nardell, MD professor of environmental health
and immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard’s T.H. Chan
School of Public Health. “You’re breathing a higher percentage of the
same air that other people are exhaling.” Air conditioners take away
moisture from the air, “and we know viruses prefer dry air,”(Nardell,
E.,2020)__________________________
2. There's no difference between a whole day class and half-day class in
this case. Exposure is still exposure._During the day students and teachers
would eventually meet more people other than those who we meet within the
school premises. We’re not sure if they have the virus or not. What if we get
close to someone with someone with the virus but is not showing any
symptoms? There’d be a greater chance that we’d also get it and maybe even
spread with our family members. ___________________________________
B__Could potentially put our economy at risk _______________________________
 1. Many Filipinos lost their jobs during the quarantine. This means that
some families are struggling to feed their families.
2. “The quarantine measures have shut down schools and most
government offices and private establishments in Metro Manila and
the entire Luzon island, which accounts for over half of the country’s
total population and generates more than two-thirds of the country’s overall
GDP” (ADB,
2020)______________________________________________________
III. _Face-to-face classes are better________
A. _ Performance of students are better during face-to- face classes, than ODL _
1. _Students were more eager to learn during face-to-face classes. They could
concentrate more. If you ask my schoolmates if they still have the energy to
continue with online class, they would most probably say no. And with all
honesty, we didn’t really learn anything this school year. It felt as if it was
only about assignment and project, not about learning. ________________
2. _In in own experience, online classes have given me nothing but endless
stress, countless mental breakdowns, and sleepless nights. Once I finish one
assignemnet, another one shows up. As a result, I have lost all forms of
motivation and energy to get up and finish my assignment. I love learning but
not in this form. I can’t call this education; I call this torture. ODL has
deteriorated my sleep habits. I’ve had mild insomnia before ODL started, but
now, I have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep._________________
B. _Build a bond with other learners and teachers ____________________________
1_Sometimes, being with other people, most specifically our friends, is all we
need to relax after a stressful day at school. You may talk about nonsense topics,
but it helps us forget all the terrible things that has happened during that day.
During face-to-face classes, since we’ve allowed ourselves to destressed, it gives
us more energy to do more task. In ODL however, its just stress after stress after
stress. We do not have time to relax.____________________________________
2_In my own opinion and experience, I learn better when I can be with my friends
and teachers. Not only am I creating a bond with them, but somehow I could feel
like I really am a part of the discussion or class. That is something I didn’t really
feel during online classes.___________________________________________

Conclusion: _ To conclude everything that has been stated, online distance learning is the
best alternative at the moment. It just isn't safe to go out yet. The decision to implement
a half-day rule when face-to-face classes resume is a risky move. The nation should
really think about solving the issue regarding COVID before dealing with the
face-to-face classes issue. We don't have to rush with the reopening of schools. The
health and safety of the citizens should be our number one priority. _______________

Sources:
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/3/Half-day-rule-proposed-face-to-face-classes.html
https://www.adb.org/news/philippine-gdp-growth-slide-2020-due-covid-19-strong-rebound-seen-
2021-adb
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200708/air-conditioning-may-be-spreading-covid