Last June 4, 2021, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) has finally declared the start of the rainy season here in the Philippines. This is a relief especially to our beloved farmers that after a long drought, the land can finally take a sip to quench its thirst. It is also a relief to the majority of Filipino as we can finally move at ease without getting so much sweat, and bills particularly electrical will go down as we seldom use our electric fans and air conditioner.
Unfortunately, this season is also the start of the school year. Every time there's an approaching typhoon or the rain is heavier than usual, local government units often cancel the class; they always prioritize the safety of students. As a student, we use this extra time to finish our jammed school works and take a rest as well.
Do you recall that when we are experiencing non-stop rains, we are always on standby mode on news for possible class suspensions, and when we heard our place is under the list of no classes, we can't stop ourselves but to lowkey celebrate. I can't blame the students though. Studying is stressful and things like the class suspension are considered as a 'gift from nature', lol.
But as the pandemic started, the educational system is forced to shift online, and sad to say, this may affect future class suspensions.
That's sucks.
From the scope of health and economic growth to the daily activities of people, the pandemic ruined everything. Many people died because of COVID-19, businesses go bankrupt and closed, people lost their jobs, and we as students lost our chance to experience the typical student life.
As a human, it is our nature to survive and adapt to what's happening in our surrounding. We stayed in our home and used the technology to transact, socialize and study.
One of the affected sectors is education. The different institutions decided to held the classes online because aside it prevents the further transmission of the disease, the authorities also instructed this. Many of us didn’t agree because it is not convenient and effective however, we have no choice but to follow.
Back to the main topic, why did I say that this new mode of education can affect future class suspension?
This situation taught us that bringing the ‘classroom’ to the comfort of our own home is 100% possible. If we made it during the pandemic, what more in rainy weather? Instead of suspending the class totally, they may just postpone the face-to-face classes and just organize an online class.
That’s sucks.
If ever this happens, as a student we have the responsibility to meddle and voice out our opinion. They must know that doing an online class during rainy weather is worse than doing online classes during a pandemic. Here’s why:
Bad internet connection
The signal bar and connection are also dropping same as the raindrops from the sky. If the Education department will insist to implement this kind of education system when there’s bad weather, it will be unfair to those students who are just using wireless connections.
Rainfall can impact wireless signals outside the home or building because water droplets can partially absorb the signal, resulting in a lesser degree of coverage. The impacts can be felt even after the rain has stopped. The intensity of wireless signals can be affected by high humidity, which might result in reduced connection rates.
Not all of us afford to pay for a wired connection because it is much more expensive compared to wireless.
Fluctuating electricity supply
Of course, if there’s heavy rain and strong winds outside, the possibility of power failure is higher. Imagine that you’re in front of your computer screen and then suddenly they cut the power. That will be annoying, frustrating, and exasperating. Â
Anxiety
If we see the rain’s strength is progressing, we can’t help but be anxious about the things that might happen. Obviously, we will not able to focus on the class discussion if our mindset is focused on other stuff. We might often check the news for weather updates instead of listening to the teacher.
There are also students who are living in coastal and low-lying areas. So, instead of attending and focusing on an online class, they may use the time to evacuate to a safer place.
Final thoughts…
This is just an opinion and a random thought that crossed my mind last night. It makes sense that the Education department might or might not consider this an option in the future. I just made this article to share my insights and reiterate that online class is 100% not effective.
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Well it's not really effective even the modules.. Iniistress lng mga students. Sa online, students are not paying attention that much..others are even playing phones while having the class. So panu papasok sa isip yung tinuturo. Useless lng