Guru Purview

Throughout this academic year, the teachers of Springfield PB3, who are still required to teach live from campus, continue to adjust to the pandemic situation.

The COVID-19 virus outbreak triggered the start of online learning for many schools across the world. As health concerns surfaced, it became a necessity to keep the students at home to minimise exposure and infectious risk. While students are able to stay at home and study from their electronic devices through this new learning program, teachers still have to teach from campus. We interviewed some teachers to see how they feel about online learning and how they are coping with this new system.

Teachers had mixed responses regarding online learning. A number of teachers found it to be more complicated compared to normal learning, especially in the case of technical difficulties and connection issues. Others saw it as an interesting change and were willing to learn to cope with it better. There were also different opinions on online learning from the students themselves. Some teachers found the students more comfortable and attentive, while others felt a decreased amount of attention from behind the screens. For individual learning sessions, most teachers agreed that it depended on each individual student. It’s a great opportunity for diligent students to review and study, but the time would probably go to waste for students who are easily distracted. Many teachers also agreed that assessments and tests now are extremely ineffective in their current state, as it is much easier to cheat during online learning. It has become much harder to assess the students’ real progress because of this.

Most teachers mentioned that interaction with others on campus has become increasingly rare as they isolate themselves in their respective classrooms. During empty periods, teachers use the time to plan out their next sessions, prepare tests, or help students with questions and difficulties online. They have seen other teachers from time to time; however, they all were certainly more cautious when it came to face-to-face contact.

A lot more rules and procedures were put in place to ensure the safety of the whole PB3 campus. These rules and procedures are similar to the earlier stages of the outbreak when students were still going to school. Upon entering, teachers will have their temperatures checked while also maintaining a distance of one to two meters from each other. Hand sanitizers are scattered across the school, and everyone on campus has to wash their hands regularly, making sure to maintain hygiene throughout the school day. Wearing a mask is also a strict requirement. There are also activity forms teachers have to fill in every two weeks in order to monitor their activities off-campus.

Even though some teachers and students predicted things will return to normal in the next few months, there are still no guarantees on how long online learning will last. Mr. Rod, the head of the PB3 campus, also has several backup plans in case online learning is forced to continue into the foreseeable future.

“It is definitely hard to predict how long this online learning will last,” Mr. Rod explained. “The Indonesian government’s approval for school return is important, as we can’t open the school without permission. Our school will have to pass all health requirements and obtain parents approval as well. If the pandemic situation continues, we might need to hold off until December or even January, although I hope it does not come to that.”

With social activities on the low, it is highly recommended for students to engage in online clubs and/or other activities. That way, students will still be engaged and active with their respective communities outside of only studying in their rooms. Mr. Rod will continue to discuss with all teachers on what works with online learning and what doesn’t. Suggestions from both students and parents will also be taken into account.

As proposals rise, online learning will hopefully continue to improve as well. Mr. Rod, along with all of the teachers back at school, are doing their best to make online learning a better experience for everyone.