Covid-19 and home-schooling: A reality check

LUCCA DE AZEVEDO



For the past few months, Covid-19 has dramatically changed our way of life. Everything has changed: school, shopping and even our general mobility. Online learning became a reality after the government announced the stage one lockdown, under which almost no movement was allowed all. At first, I thought online learning was going to be as easy as ABC but it turned out to be the complete opposite.

The learning was fun because I could take breaks when and how long I wanted to. I could eat whenever I wanted to, and I could spend a lot more time with my family than when I was in school. But that was the problem. At home there are a lot of different distractions but at school there are not a lot at all. There is a fixed structure of how and when everything needs to be done.

Within less than two weeks, I've had to completely change my way of studying and familiarise myself with online learning - something that I thought would be a breeze, but it turns out it is nothing like hopping onto a computer and playing games. Wi-Fi reliability, discipline, a brand-new timetable, adequate supervision and a whole lot of more research were among the many things I had to adjust my life to very unexpectedly.

It is without a doubt that I can say that we must appreciate our teachers more. At my school, our teachers interacted with us every single day, ensuring that all our work was done on time to stay up to date with the workload for the year. It sounds easy, but the harsh reality was that it was up to us to take full responsibility for our schoolwork, otherwise we risked falling behind. We also did not have a teacher supervising so I realized the importance of extra research on difficult topics, so that I could understand them better.

Want to know the secret? Here's how I did it:

Discipline is key;

Have a fixed schedule as if you are going to real school;

Have a study area with no distractions;

Go to bed on time and sleep at least eight hours in order to wake up on time; and

Pack a lunchbox and some water so that you do not walk around unnecessarily.

I am indebted to my supportive parents who walked this journey with me so strictly, because I now realise that without that amount of discipline, there is no way I would have ever survived this.

• Lucca de Azevedo is a Grade 5 learner at Windhoek Gymnasium Private School. He is an avid writer. All views are his own and not those of his school.