I am a student in transition year and in this essay, I’m going to outline why, in my opinion, online learning is the antithesis of the meaning of the TY experience.
It seems to me that in TY, teachers set out to do one of two things: either (a ) prepare for the Leaving Cert, full steam ahead, or (b ) chew through the hour as painlessly as possible, covering material chosen only for its unquestionable appropriateness to class, but without care as to whether the material holds any interest or entertainment value, or value for the students’ practical lives. It is naïve to think that we may cover any material that holds an effective value for future exams, because anything valuable taught to students now will be taught again in fifth year. Students know this, so trying to teach educationally valuable but uninteresting material to TY students is a futile endeavour, and it is lazy to think otherwise. The result is disengagement from students.
It seems to me that the one of the biggest reasons for teachers insisting on the completion of work among TYs, is to instill a sense of purpose. To me, however, the chosen medium is inexcusably narrow-minded, and is as arbitrary as deciding to complete 1,000 jumping-jacks each day for a sense of purpose. In my view, the sense of achievement obtained by completing such a futile task is both hollow and superficial and entirely ineffective in generating a true sense of purpose. There must be something else, a knowledge that you have accomplished something that will lead to the bettering of your life.
Fulfillment, I think, should be looked at as one of the most important parts of life, but shouldn’t be sought purely through academics, at least not in TY, a year when students aren’t working towards any exams like they would be in fifth and sixth year, and where exam work is, or should be, irrelevant. Focusing on purely exam relevant objectives misses the point of TY – a year originally designed to give exposure to non-academic subjects. I don’t pretend that the current circumstances aren’t hugely restrictive, and what is ideal may not be what is possible, but I don’t see this as reason enough to throw in the towel and entirely disregard what TY is all about. We mustn’t be so black and white as to shift all the focus off enjoyment and exploration and back onto productivity. I think a compromise must be considered in which these three things may coexist, based on the acceptance that productivity isn’t limited to academia and may be found in more abstract avenues such as art or sociology or philosophy.
I think that a fulfilling life is, in essence, personal to the individual; life satisfaction stems from the experience that one’s life is, as a whole, how one wants it to be. This often includes the feeling that you are making a difference in the world, that you are accomplishing some or all of what you want to accomplish. And it’s also about momentary joy, hedonistic happiness, and instantaneous elations. Online learning, in my view, is the death of all of the above due to its monotony, futility, and simple lack of fun. Why not make the class enjoyable for all engaging parties by embracing the haphazard nature of TY and allowing productivity to come from whatever people seem most enthusiastic about? I’m thankful for some of my teachers who approach classes in this way, but unfortunately, these educators are few. Because of this, I know to cherish my time outside the virtual classroom, and pray for our return to a physical school in February.
Ben Donohue is a transition year student at Coláiste Iognáid.
