Back to Bike: Pedaling One’s Way to Remote Learning

I was five when my father removed my training wheels. The world runs swiftly before that; like a fearless knight, the air to me has no tinge of peril. Countless times I fell wounded, I thought I would never be able to make it. One time, I gathered my courage, pedaled as fast as I could… and then face-down I fell. But after that spectacular failure, I started learning by my own, garnering speed, and conquering lengths.

As the pandemic slowed our lives, I was plunged back to that moment when I first rode my two-wheeled bicycle. The air is thick with danger and the fear of getting near someone for the possibility of a fall is back. I am anxious to fall, but more than that, I dread not to learn. Those training wheels are like my teachers, they built the foundation for who I might become.

Corona virus has forced all of us to get out of the comfort we were initially bestowed to have. Learning for one has been affected drastically as institutions were left with the decision to teach remotely. Numerous media have been chosen to provide education including modular and online learning. However, both of these require students to find their own way, to balance their own time, and to learn by themselves.

To tell the truth, the act of riding a bike like learning with the internet is a privilege in itself. Aida Yuvienco, Department of Education’s ICT Service Director, stated that only about 26 percent of the public schools in the Philippines have connection to the internet. Add this matter up to the large percentage of students who do not have access to the web and we are witnessing a big blow on the face of the right for education. To make things worse, it is estimated that about 5,000 schools in remote areas do not even have electricity. That’s probably close to teaching with wet chalk.

This current setup of our education system paves way for a lot of students to have a hard time catching up. On the other hand, teachers are also stressed out following orders and maximizing the learning they could provide. Running donation drive for bond paper and printing materials students might find helpful. The pandemic has provided an unprecedented challenge for both parties.

Thinking about it, I have been wounded far more times when I was on that bike than those years that followed combined. These days on quarantine are time for adjustments and growth. Allow oneself to commit mistakes, for mistakes encourages learning to happen. Now more than ever, we appreciate the things we once have; the guidance, advice, and support we receive from our teachers. Nonetheless, this should not stop us from experimenting, finding new ways to learn and adjusting.

This is the new normal. The days where our training wheels were attached are long gone. As students, we are now separated from the mentors we look up to. It is the time to gather courage, fail spectacularly, pedal once again, and grow as the person we aspire to be.