‘A Day in the Life of a Remote Learner’
With the growing uncertainty as to when face-to-face education will return, it is imperative that we all find a routine with which we’re content with for the time being. Personally, I’ve found remote learning to be quite flexible, in that we’re given the opportunity to find what works for us in terms of learning from home.
If it helps, I’ll usually listen to music while working on a task. I thoroughly encourage finding whatever works personally for you, even if it’s just plugging in headphones to cancel out any minor noises that could annoy you. Productivity doesn’t come from constantly pumping out tonnes of hours of work – I’ve learnt that first hand. I keep my phone outside my door and in the transition time between periods, I’ll allow myself a bit of a break. It’s key to find a balance between school and other things that we enjoy. This is why I never do work during recess and lunches, to allow myself a break. After school, I tend to workout for an hour and rest up for another. In terms of studying at night, I’ve narrowed down the amount of work I do so that I am not sitting at my desk for 10 hours a day. At night, I usually spend 2-3 hours revising content or even doing extra work, such as the set tasks for the rest of the week. I’ve found that as I have gotten closer to the senior years, I’ve appreciated the day-to-day, extra mile work that I do behind the scenes a lot more.
Aside from exercise and working out, I’ve found it immensely important to keep in touch with mates inside or outside of school, whether through calls or texts. Personally, I’m glad that I’ve got a close circle of mates that I can turn to for help, especially if I feel as though nothing’s going my way on that particular day or even if I need to rest up. This is something I highly endorse and would encourage all boys to implement within their new lifestyles both now and in the future.
In regards to online learning, there are obviously many new challenges that have been raised. One of the biggest challenges for me personally has been the early days and sometimes, the late nights when I am working. Hence, the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through exercise and online socialising is reiterated. On the contrary, I have enjoyed the remote learning program as it allows me to become better organised and learn ahead. I am usually big on knowing content beforehand, so that by the time it is taught it is essentially revision. Online learning has allowed me to attempt some work earlier on in the week, so that when we come to the lesson in question, I am able to clarify any issues or uncertainties I may have. This way, I’m better organised and feel less rushed to learn content – something that I’ve found is essential in the senior years thus far. I find that thinking ahead towards the end goal is a good source of motivation academically and in general.
Overall, the while our current remote learning situation is not ideal, it’s the only thing we’ve got to work with. From experience, I encourage you to use this as an opportunity to develop your organisational skills and basic study habits heading into the senior years of school. Junior boys especially, try to find what works for you when working from home, as these skills will ultimately become a key component of your schooling.
Cheers boys, and good luck!
Steven Tran
11G
