Corona-education?
Well, here we are starting our brand spankin’ new school year. We walk in with hopes, dreams and just a little bit of healthy excitement combined with fear. However, this year is a bit different. We are only allowed at the faculty a few times a week and we aren’t really allowed to hang there all day with our friends just joking around. As we walk in, we have to check in and as we leave, we have to check out. It truly feels like a clock-in/clock-out job that we are going to.
As we know, many if not all lectures are now online. Something that previous years could only dream of. This was something that was such a big topic that it was used as a running campaign during faculty elections a few years back. I’m sure now that many people regret having hoped our education would be as online as possible. At least, given like this, without a choice, is very hard to swallow. Another aspect is tutorials through ZOOM, if it was hard not to check out Instagram or Facebook before, it is now impossible. What is more interesting to do…checking that new scoop or juicy drama happening with Kanye or that random guy who has been talking nonstop about the same damn thing, pretending he actually did the course work and is not reading from a STUVIA (props to these people, they saved me a lot of work). As we are having to deal with these things, what makes it worse are those extremely annoying people constantly asking you to “KeEp yOuR dIstAnce PLeAs” (before you ask, yes, this was necessary and I am one of those people myself). They greet you at the door, ask you to check in and to please disinfect your hands. It is similar to a camp where everyone is checked and presumed filthy until disinfected. When asking random students around the FHML there were mixed emotions. Some were happy with the measures as they felt safer and looked after. These people shared words such as “thanks” when being asked to keep their distance. Others were a bit less than ‘happy’ with the new measures in place. The one thing everyone had in common was their hope that the people wearing orange vests are being paid. You manage to get to your class and have to take a break to ventilate, make sure the window is open. You pray to God that you don’t need to keep it open during winter. Class is a bit strange with maybe half the people. At the end of class, you can’t stay and chat outside the classroom, you have to leave and make space for other people. Link is also more than partially blocked off and God forbid you sit too close and have to be told to move your chairs away from each other. You eventually head towards the doors to leave, after an exhausting day, and once again you see that annoying guy or girl that was telling you all day long what to do and how to do it. However, to your surprise, the person greets you again with a big smile, wishing you a nice day, night or a pleasant weekend. You in turn wish the person back and manage to leave with a smile on your face as well. At the end of it all, it is simply doing the best we can to still have a proper education. Doing your best to follow the rules because a 100% online education is something no one wants. So, let’s all do our best, all together, while maintaining proper distance of course.
I want to wish you all a good year and I hope you enjoy your first year as much as I did. I leave you with one final tip: Follow the rules now and as soon as this is all over, we can all party like animals again.
Disclaimer**
As mentioned above, I myself am working as a UM-Steward and I honestly believe we need to follow the rules that were stipulated. As annoying as we may be perceived and as annoying it is to be told, I would like to thank you for your understanding and cooperation in keeping our University open and safely accessable.
