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Speak with Comfort: Implementation of an Online School Freedom Wall as a means of Self

Expression

Dylan Josh D. Fua

Saint Catherine of Siena Academy of Samal, Inc.

Reading and Writing / English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Mr. Roy Joseph F. Lazarte

May 5, 2023
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Speak with Safety: Implementation of an Online School Freedom Wall as a means of Self

Expression

Student interactions between those of different grade levels are difficult to come
by, and if there is any, oftentimes it’s only very rarely. This is due to not only the age
gaps, but also to the lack of opportunity to get to meet and know one another. Many
people nowadays cannot be bothered to sit down and talk with strangers, as they spend
their time mostly glued to their phones and if not that, do not want to talk to strangers
personally because of the awkwardness that exists. While some students are good at
approaching and making friends, the so called ”extroverts” find it easy, but how about
those who aren’t as sociable? There are some students that are friends with each other,
it’s most likely because they’re neighbors or have known each other for a while. The
student interactions, at first, has always been weird, and especially for those that are
introverted, who, even more than others struggle to make friends. It is obvious to all of us
that these student interactions will be for the greater in the long run. Thus, it should be
clear to the school administrators that we must find a more innovative, up-to-date way of
promoting student interactionism.

Inside Saint Catherine of Siena Academy of Samal, the students of the Senior
High School and Junior High School reside in different buildings. Interactions between
the Senior High School and Junior High School students is harder, as they are only able
to see each other outside of class hours. Unlike those in the JHS(Junior High School)
department where they can see each other way easily, of course the direct result of this is
lesser interactions. What this means is that the students will struggle to interact with each
other. As an effort to solve this problem, The school should start an implementation of an
Online School Freedom Wall to be established as a means of self expression for the
students as in this Online School Freedom Wall, students cannot only share their interests
with each other, but they can also develop camaraderie among each other and an
implementation of this not only provides students more comfort but also promote
interactions with each other and builds fellowship and trust among them, may it be those
from different grade levels.
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Firstly, an implementation of an Online School Freedom Wall provides students

a means of freedom of speech all the while being in their comfort zone for them to voice
their thoughts out and express themselves, while they are still comfortable at their own
homes. According to D’Costa (2014), Computer-mediated forms of communication,
including email and instant messaging, allow for a degree of distance, and these types of
communication is ideal for introverts who can control the interaction. For those who are
introverted, these may just be their best chance to make more friends and let themselves
be known. Of course, not only are the introverts are the benefactors but also those who
genuinely want to make friends with others, but struggle to.

Secondly, while it may be obvious, the implementation of an OSFW(Online

School Freedom Wall) promotes student interaction. The internet is a whole different
dimension compared to real life as students, and self-expression in this dimension is way
easier. Usage of images and videos, popular trends, etc. are good, alternative means of
self-expression. According to the article “Self-Expression through Social Media” (2022),
Self-Expression is important because it allows us to communicate who we are, what we
are, what we think and how we feel. Everybody should be able to express themselves
within the school, and clearly, some struggle doing so while they’re face-to-face, and
that’s where the OSFW will come in handy, as everyone is given a better chance.

Lastly, the implementation of OSFW builds fellowship and trust among the
students. Naturally, with these interactions will bring forth new friendships, as well as
sharing the same interests and the like. As time passes and they keep in touch and talk,
eventually, trust will run deep among them. The OSFW will be key to building multiple
said relationships as it allows them to freely express themselves. We all know that Social
Media is a big part of our lives, and to modernize the school’s system, the OSFW will be
a great help in forming these said relationships. In an article written by Bhatia(2014), The
social avenue is very open as you can open Social Media and see that someone you know
shares the same interest as you, right then and there, an opportunity for friendship has
arisen.

On the other hand, some may argue that sticking to Social Media applications like
Facebook and just adding people as friends can work, there are times that the students
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may not even know each other, and in the end, the friend request is only ignored so while
it may work, there is still no guaranteed chance. However, the OSFW can exist just like a
Facebook Group where students are all in one group and can express themselves and be
seen by other students, even if they are not connected like being Facebook Friends. In
another argument, some may say that inappropriate content may get posted and that
students might go and make a fuss about something in the group, and then start an
argument however, the implementation of the OSFW needs administrators and
moderators, may it be teachers or students as well who will check each post before
approving them so that the OSFW can be kept as a safe place for students to get to know
each other outside of school grounds and to make friends with those who share the same
interests.

All in all, the implementation of an Online School Freedom Wall will be great for
those students who find it hard to interact with others on school grounds. Certainly, the
Online School Freedom Wall will be a big help to the students who just want to explore
and have fun. Not only that, it can even be a platform for students who just want to
express their feelings It should be given a chance and be implemented to give those,
especially those who are introverted to make friends or make more friends, get to know
more about their schoolmates and learn more about their interests. This promotes student
interactionism and also allows them to build connections, and in the long run, may serve
much good use to them.
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References

Bhatia, S. (2014, September 29). How Does Social Media Help Build Relationships. Social

Samosa. https://www.socialsamosa.com/2014/09/social-media-build-relationships/

D’Costa, K. (2014, March 27). What does it mean to be an introvert online? SCIENTIFIC

AMERICAN. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/what-does-

it-mean-to-be-an-introvert-online/

Self Expression through Social Media. (2022, March 10). RiiRoo.

https://riiroo.com/blogs/health-and-wellbeing/self-expression-through-social-media