I can still vividly remember the days of pandemic and online learning. It was not the best time of my life, but it was certainly the loneliest. We are back at school again, in classrooms, surrounded by schoolmates and the more I look back on those days, the more I realize that online learning did not really work.
Even though I personally enjoyed it at first, because it was different and more relaxed it became more and more demanding after a while. After initial problems with technology, we slowly got used to it. Even teachers were struggling with new technology and new teaching schedules. However, my problem was not technology but self-discipline and regular learning. After spending seven hours sitting in front of a computer screen I just could not force myself to study in the afternoon. Consequently, my knowledge in certain subjects was really poor.
Another valid argument against online learning was lack of socialising. Students of first years must have been affected most, because they did not get a chance to properly meet each other. I was one of them and today I am aware of the fact how lonely I was, or my schoolmates were during those long months of the pandemic.
Personally, I think that online learning cannot be as successful as learning in school, at least in the long term, because we do not learn as much as we do in school, and we do not socialize enough with our friends. Therefore, we experienced substantial lack of socializing, communication, and teamwork, which are all very important aspects of our lives. Despite some minor benefits of being educated online, I am glad we are back at school.
Jaka Hiršenfelder