Should schools return to face-to-face learning?

Due to the COVID outbreak that started back in January 2020, students and teachers have been introduced to a new way of learning. The only way to prevent the virus from spreading was to keep all students and teachers at home and start distance learning. Distance learning was first introduced to the ISM community in March when the Philippines declared a whole country lockdown. Since then, students had to quarantine themselves at home and continue learning through computers. 

At first, students were filled with excitement for not having to wake up early and go to school. However after a few months of staring at their screens for hours every day, students got tired and wanted to go back to school. Despite the students desire, it wasn’t possible due to the thousands of confirmed cases in the Philippines each day. 

Others might disagree with going back to school and resuming face to face learning but I believe that if everyone follows the safety protocols and guidelines provided by the government and the ISM faculty, all will be safe. 

Comparing the two learning systems, face-to-face and online, many would agree that online learning is not  effective as face to face. It is hard to interact with other students and teachers through screens which makes online learning much more difficult. In addition to the lack of interaction, students don’t seem to focus very well online with many distractions around them at home. 

The students’ and teachers' technology skills have improved over time as we have been on distance learning for over nine months.  At first, it was troublesome. Simply getting on zoom was a struggle for all of us but as time flew by, we have all adapted to the new circumstances. 

The safety of students and faculties are prioritized when considering whether to go back to face to face or stay at home and continue distance learning. With the strict safety precautions ISM has planned and implemented over the nine months, I believe that it would be appropriate for students to go back on campus and resume face to face learning. On top of the safety protocols, ISM has planned a new way to alternate between groups to limit the number of students on campus each day. With everyone wearing masks, socially distancing,  and sanitizing their hands and belongings, it will be safe for everyone to go back on campus and start face-to-face learning. 

Lucas

Schools all around the world have been closed for months due to the rise of COVID-19 As a result, students were introduced to a new, more digital form of learning. It required us to work at a computer for extended periods of time. While this was an effective way to keep students safe, it also was a setback to the learning of the students. Due to this, debates have been sprouting around the world on whether or not schools should be reopened. I believe that schools should stay closed, at least until COVID-19 has dwindled down. Although going back to school is the best choice for our education, there are multiple reasons why it is better to stay home. 

Primarily, COVID-19 is a virus that is capable of going through mutations. Vaccines are ineffective against the mutated version of the disease. Therefore, even  if all ISM students were to take the vaccine, we would all still be vulnerable to the virus. This would put the lives of all ISM students at risk, therefore should not be allowed on campus just yet. 

n addition, it is physically impossible to fit all the students in ISM without violating some social distancing rules. The guidelines state that every person should be at least one meter away from each other for effective social distancing. However, the average number of students per classroom ranges from 19-24. One person at least needs 3m² of space to be at least one meter away from each other. This is impossible, as most classrooms are around 60m². Including furniture, each classroom would only be able to accommodate 18 people. This is insufficient to fit all the students. Therefore, some students would be left out. Also, it has been shown that spaces such as the courtyard, and the canteen can be extremely crowded, especially during lunch and break times. There is no way for ISM students to follow the social distancing guidelines if that is the case. 

Furthermore, going back to school at this moment is just another way for the virus to spread. Going back to school would mean that students would have to travel from their homes to the campus. On their way, students would interact with different people and places, depending on the method of transportation. While travelling by private vehicles may minimize the amount of interaction being made, a significant portion of the students live near ISM, and most of them use walking as their means of transportation. This means that they are fully exposed to the people and places around them on their way to school, therefore helping the virus spread. 

It is a tragedy that schools were forced to close for so long. It has almost been a year since ISM students had last set foot on campus, and many side effects of distance learning are emerging. However, even if distance learning is harmful to our learning, we should be reminded of the many detrimental effects the COVID-19 virus can have on if schools were to be open again. Thus, schools should be closed, at least until the coronavirus has diminished.