‘I prefer face-to-face learning’ - Teenager says she misses student-teacher interaction
Published:Friday | May 1, 2020 | 12:09 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
AMID THE outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Allana Campbell’s family relocated from St Catherine to Stewart Town in Portland.
When The Gleaner visited the family’s abode, the 14-year-old was seen perched atop a scaffolding on an unfinished section of the house with her laptop and notebook in hand.
“I come outside and sit up here because when I’m inside, the Internet doesn’t pick up well,” she explained.
Since early March when schools were ordered closed by the Government in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, several institutions have moved teaching and learning to various online platforms. The Ministry of Education has also been hosting live lessons on local free-to-air television.
It has been less than two month since the change, and although Campbell has not yet fully settled in, she has decided to make her education the top priority.
“I’m thankful that even in the midst of the transition, I am able to learn,” the teenager said, adding that she is uncertain which school she will attend when they eventually reopen. In the meantime, she continues to receive instruction from her former teachers at Jonathan Grant High School in St Catherine.
Campbell, who is a grade-eight student, said it has been a difficult adjustment.
“I prefer face-to-face learning because with online learning, the teachers are not really talking to us. In class, they have the opportunity to break down the information,” she shared. Campbell added that her workload has increased by about 10 per cent, which has forced her to be more disciplined. She has since set up a schedule to share her time between schoolwork, chores and leisure activities.
The teen has the full support of her mother, Teisha Stewart, who told The Gleaner that her daughter misses the routine of going to school.
“I’m glad they are able to send her work, so that keeps her occupied. I don’t have the Internet box as yet, but I try to put on data on the phone so she can get the lessons,” Stewart said.