Elia Torres, 14

Grade 9, St. Paul College Pasig

Are you ready for the new school year? A few weeks ago, my answer would have been no, but now I feel more relaxed and somewhat prepared.

How different is your preparation compared to last year? Less stressful. The past school year, preparations would take up a lot of time and money. Preparing for this school year took little to no effort, only using our gadgets to enroll and using old unused notebooks from last year.

How do you feel about distance learning? I’m not completely against it because it is the best decision for education in this time of the pandemic. A part of me is anxious because it’s something that is new, and that I will be learning in a environment I am not very motivated in.

What are your concerns? How the place where I will be learning will affect my diligence in studying. Learning in an environment I am too comfortable in might take away my motivation to learn properly.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? I’m expecting a lot of difficulty with the internet connection, not only on my side but for the instructors and teachers, as well.

What do you miss the most about being in school? Aside from not being able to see my friends face to face, I will miss the activities like school functions, sports fest, batch gatherings, etc.

Nathan Cuazon, 15

Grade 11

Are you ready for the new school year? Yes.

How different is your preparation compared to last year? A bit more relaxed.

How do you feel about distance learning? I’m OK with it.

What are your concerns? I won’t get to see my friends physically.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? Learning on my own, since most is asynchronous learning.

What do you miss the most about being in school? My friends.

Charlize Tan, 17

1st year, prospective Economics major, Yale-NUS College

Are you ready for the new school year? Yes.

How different is your preparation compared to last year? Having a stable Wi-Fi connection and an up-to-date gadget take greater priority.

How do you feel about distance learning? I have mixed feelings about it.

What are your concerns? Though distance learning allows students to continue their studies at their own pace within the safety of their homes, students are also prone to distractions as they are not in a controlled environment. It also makes it harder for students to interact with their peers and teachers.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face this school year? I think interacting with my peers and adapting to a new learning style will be challenges for me. Since it will take longer to reach out to my professors and classmates for help, I believe distance learning will challenge me to become independent and search for answers on my own.

What do you miss the most about being in school? I miss having face-to-face interactions and participating in extracurricular activities the most. Distance learning provides a way for students to improve academically, but having face-to-face activities also allow us to grow holistically.

Chloe, 16

High school junior

Are you ready for the new school year? I am certainly ready for the upcoming school year.

How do you feel about distance learning? Distance learning has been a new experience. It’s more teaching yourself, since you’re not being physically taught by a teacher. It’s easy in some ways but it can also be hard to manage.

What are your concerns? I’m wondering how different things will be once we return to physical school. Also, how I’m going to manage doing another year and how much focus I’ll have.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? I need to focus more on schoolwork and on my future. I’m one step closer to college, so I really have to think about what I want to do for the future and what’s best for me.

What do you miss the most about being in school? The interactions with the people I talk to at school, socializing and participating in school events. It was all fun.

Boo Pascual, 16

Grade 11, Life Academy International

Are you ready for the new school year? Yes.

How do you feel about distance learning? It’s a good method, and something to use to get by.

What are your concerns? It’s not suitable for everyone, because students have different learning styles.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? Having to do everything online and having no physical projects.

What do you miss the most about being in school? Learning in a classroom setup and the facilities.

Richard Gemora, 20

2nd year college

Are you ready for the new school year? No.

How different is your preparation compared to last year? It doesn’t really feel like I’m going to school, so I’m preparing less.

How do you feel about distance learning? I don’t prefer it to classroom learning.

What are your concerns? I feel like schools aren’t ready to transition to online learning due to lack of research, resources and stable internet connection.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? Aside from unstable internet connection, I feel that the online platform will not be effective for learning for most students.

What do you miss the most about being in school? The routine and being in a learning environment.

Ysabel Ducay, 17

Grade 12, Humanities and Social Sciences, Far Eastern University

Are you ready for the new school year? Yes, I am prepared for the new school year and its new methods of learning.

How different is the preparation compared to last year? I have to focus more on working on things by myself. With limited resources, I have to depend on myself more to comprehend certain topics without a teacher’s physical presence.

How do you feel about distance learning? What are your concerns? For myself, I don’t really mind, since this is one of the only ways we can learn in the current situation. However, as a young citizen of this country, I can’t help but think of my fellow students who may not have the same resources that I do. It is truly unfortunate, and I hope things can be done so no one will be left behind.

What are the challenges you think you’ll face? Given that we will mostly be learning online, I think I will find the lack of contact and actual discourse challenging. I am a Humanities and Social Sciences student, and in our strand we value communication, debates and lively discussions in classrooms that expand our skill in the social sciences. However, with the slow internet connection in the Philippines, I can’t help but think that the situation may hinder important aspects of learning in our strand.

What do you miss the most about being in school? I will miss interacting with my classmates and being able to discuss important things about our studies. As I’ve said before, communication and discourse play a big part in our strand. Getting to know and understand the different views and opinions of my fellow students in topics that affect our society is one of the things I enjoyed the most last year. While we might be able to communicate through group chats and group video calls this year, nothing beats actual experience.