Enlight 21

Double-Edged Distance-Learning

Author: Jake Kim | Category: Lifestyle | Date: 07-19-2020

Like it or not, distance-learning and self-quarantining were probably eye-opening experiences for many people. This sudden liberation yet restrain in lifestyle has influenced people’s lives in obvious and unthinkable ways. During this time, I experienced drastic changes in my education, social life, and health, which helped me realize the various benefits and drawbacks of public education.

First of all, the revamp in accessing and taking part in education was a double-edged sword. Due to the flexibility of distance-learning, everyone could work at their own pace instead of a set pace. For me, this was a benefit, as I found the regular speed of the curriculum a little slow. However, I cannot say the same for everyone, as there is only so much that teachers can do to keep their students on track online. This new style of learning required students to motivate themselves to be productive and that was a first for many students. Especially after hearing that the semester would be graded on a Credit/No Credit scale, it was tempting for many students, including me, to do the bare minimum of work and still have a “flawless semester” recorded on our transcripts. Another downside of distance-learning was that it was not on par with conventional education in terms of efficiency. While frantically switching over to an online learning system, schools could not accommodate for technical difficulties and all the other possible drawbacks, which ultimately led to a less efficient learning experience for students.

In addition, distance-learning and self-quarantining heavily affected my social life. The sudden changes in safety measures prevented me from interacting with anyone apart from my family. At first, I thought this was great, as I had only been separated from friends for a short amount of time and I spent more time with my family than I had used to. However, spending too much time with family, let alone anyone, is a mentally and sometimes even physically taxing activity. There’s only so much family bonding one can take without being driven to insanity. Furthermore, the lack of social interaction allowed me to focus and improve upon myself. Since nobody is around to judge me, I seized this opportunity to improve upon what I considered to be my greatest flaws. I was able to improve my work ethic, grow out my hair, and abandon bad habits while establishing new ones. Through this situation, I learned that there are good lessons and opportunities to grasp even during seemingly unfavorable situations.

Lastly, distance-learning affected my health in a variety of new ways. Without school dictating my morning to noon schedule, I could form a more suitable day for myself, including more sleep and frequent breaks. These new adjuncts to my schedule overall enhanced my physical and mental well-being. Also, I was motivated enough to get sufficient exercise daily, which also contributed to the maintenance of my physical well-being. However, the remoteness and unexpectedness of the situation also brought about negative effects on my mental health. The mental and emotional strains due to the lack of physical social interactions caused me to experience frequent burnouts. On top of that, I felt frequent anxiety due to the constant information of unfortunate and debasing news as well as the fear of not knowing my next steps.

All in all, distance-learning and self-quarantining posed major benefits and drawbacks on my education, social life, and health. During such confusing and overwhelming times, the best thing to do is to build each other up and abide by safety precautions to return to equilibrium in the quickest way possible. Also, by replicating our ways of life before the pandemic and blending it with the status quo, it is possible to negate many drawbacks while still reaping the benefits that we have experienced through this situation.