March 11, 2020 – the day that no student will forget.

 

Forward vs. Now

The pandemic has changed the lives of all of us, and in the chaos that still exists in Romania, the most affected were and still are the students. Whether we're talking rural or urban, we think you'll agree with us about what the school years mean now. Our parents and grandparents used to tell us that childhood years, teenage years and student years are the most beautiful, that we should cherish them and capitalize on them as much as we can. Well, they were right... because in the context of Covid-19, no one has ever had the real experience of a student, and even faced many more obstacles along the way.

The other day we launched a questionnaire in which we asked you how the pandemic affected you, and your answers really speak volumes about the shortcomings of Romanian education. We aim in collaboration with ThinkUp Academy on this article to present you with 2 completely opposite perspectives of the pandemic, so stay with us until the end to discover how the last 2 years have looked in the view of your colleagues! ?

 

statistically

School and the Pandemic... A difficult subject? Who really cares about the fate of the students? This school year started for 5000 students online, but not because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but because of the old infrastructure problems - things confirmed by Digi 24 - hence the question: "who really cares about the fate of the students ? Or better said.. Does anyone care about the fate of the students?".

What are we doing for the future of the country? It seems that nothing... everyone seems concerned about the fate of the students, but we do nothing to help them... All the years of poorly made material that "had" to be changed periodically failed to do what the Covid pandemic did in just a few months. For my generation and maybe for the generations before me things were not necessarily decisive, but for those who had to learn to write in those years, I know what I can say.

Whether we wanted to or not, we accepted that the pandemic hit us in a way that surely no one would have expected. We weren't ready, and the biggest problem is that we still aren't ready. If some teachers managed to make their students understand the lesson as well or maybe even better than in physical format, some of them, on the other hand, still do not master the Google Classroom and Google Meet platforms - the new classroom. What about students who master learning platforms better than their own teachers? I believe that each of us has at least one teacher who has not fully adapted to what online learning is really about, but nevertheless, the gaps of teachers should not clip the wings of students.

 

65,000 children dropped out of school during the pandemic – what happens to them?

What can we say about the conditions offered so that these children can continue their studies? Whether we want to understand it or not, these children are the future... but it seems to me that this future does not really concern us.

According to a survey conducted by UNICEF in May 2020, a third of students in Romania are not satisfied with online school and do not attend classes through virtual platforms. Have we managed to solve the problem with internet access? In May last year, 4% of the students who participated in the survey depend on a time slot to access them, and 1% do not have easy access.

The students also mentioned that last year they used different platforms depending on the subject taught, which caused confusion and discomfort. Last year, 36% of the students would have liked to have attended a session in which they were explained how to use the platforms, so 8% of them consider it difficult for them to adapt.

Whether we had access to the internet and the necessary devices to take online classes, we all had a hard time adjusting, and still do. We are the generation that had access to everything they could have wanted, whether we are talking about the latest model of phone, drone or the collection volume of "20,000 Leagues under the Sea", we had access to everything, going out with friends or I say no more, here I think I have neglected the physical interaction; and now, it seems to us that we have become more and more restricted, it seems ironic. The thing we valued the least was taken from us, and we would give anything to get it back.

 

The pandemic in the eyes of students:

"The teachers weren't as interested as they should have been and it felt like I had to do everything on my own. It was good that I had more time to learn and do homework, but I got almost no feedback from them. At the same time, it was extremely difficult to motivate myself to do the assignments and study for the exams in the session.

For me this "online school" experiment was terrible. In the beginning especially I didn't have trained teachers, I didn't have information how to use certain applications, the internet connection was sometimes interrupted and I had to document myself from other sources to understand the lessons. I had much, much more homework to learn. A good part was that I spent more time with my family and I was able to discover other passions of mine.

It was hard for me. It messed me up a lot. I am a being who takes energy from being with people and I was kind of put against the wall and forced to live in another environment and learn to take energy from myself. Overall, I learned new things, I had more time to take care of myself and rebuild myself as a person, but I broke a lot of friendships because of the pandemic. (My spiritual side screams "it was for the better" but it doesn't know.)

 

We are called the Covid Generation

Aren't you tired of being told that every day? We do. When we think about what this actually entails, we realize that we have been deprived of opportunities, memories, experiences that no one gives us back. When we got to go physically, we felt the difference compared to online, but it still wasn't the same and it didn't make up for the lost time!

Here too, factors intervene that have made it difficult to learn and create an environment suitable for school, both online and physically. A survey carried out by the Save the Children association shows that:

• 51% of children do not have access to a tablet or computer, especially children at risk of poverty and social exclusion;
• 4 out of 10 children complained that homework was harder to do;
• 1/3 of them consider that they have fallen behind in the taught subject;
• most feel the need for help immediately after returning to school;
• understanding or support to overcome this period is the main felt need, followed by help from teachers;
• 1/3 of the students cannot identify what could have helped them.

 

Mental and emotional health of students

In 2020, I heard a teacher and, at the same time, a parent saying "Restrictions like restrictions, but who thinks about the health of the children". Many underestimate the real impact on students, beyond the educational side, but we think you agree or have been in situations like this yourself:

• Lack of motivation to learn;
• Loss of loved ones;
• Procrastination and the impression of inability;
• State of permanent fatigue;
• Uncertainty about the future;
• Missing/postponing important events.

You are not alone, we have all been through this and know what it means to feel helpless. What we encourage you to do is to turn to a professional for help or close and trusted people, as difficult as it may seem to take this step, the life-changing the result is!

 

We miss…

We also want to discuss the moments before the pandemic... a little nostalgia can often be a breath of fresh air!

We miss interacting with each other, we miss learning without masks, distancing and disinfectants, we miss going on trips, we miss moving freely, we miss School Otherwise, opportunities, the emotions before of a test or exam, of the high school experience, of the time lost and that no one will give us back!

 

✋ Did I miss something?

The students have no say

Returning a little to the present, we also want to address the issue of the forced holiday from October 22 to November 7. There are countless opinions about this, but a common front is the fact that by the Ministry's action to impose the suspension of classes for two weeks, it accentuates the very source of the problem: the students are not consulted when decisions are made that primarily involve them. Although we are told that we are the "primary beneficiaries of education", we have no say and yet, we are still the ones who bear the consequences.

"The worst decision anyone has ever made. After we didn't know from one day to the next if we would go to school again, this "forced vacation" intervened, which had no purpose. Worse it confused us!

It put "sticks in my wheels". I'm in 10th grade and I have to do my psychology thesis this year. My psychology professor is a bit crazy and I'm really, really scared for my thesis.

I don't consider either that he helped me or that he put "sticks in my wheels". On the one hand, I was able to focus exclusively on my baccalaureate, but on the other hand, I missed the presence of my schoolmates.

The subject of the Romanian education system is a broad and complex subject, but that is a story for another time. We end here by wishing that we managed to draw attention to what is happening in schools, how it affects us, what we can do and a small (let's call it) memory for old times sake. It is important to realize that the situation will not change in the near future, but we must treat things with positive energy, not let them overwhelm us, and maybe we will return to the hit "High School Years" - with an emotion incomparable to that of past generations !

Signed 2 students,

In collaboration

Her Time Romania & ThinkUp Academy <3