Editor’s Note: Perhaps most of us have chatted with our students about their lives under COVID 19. Seldom, though, have we seen them expressed in writing. We continue to publish selected writings from the students of an ESL teacher in our midst, submitted in their knowledge and with their permission. Let’s hear the voice of some in this precious group.
Glory C.
“Today is my 3rd month of doing online learning. My ESL class has been moving to online class because of COVID-19. Every weekday, I join the online lecture. It saves me an hour a day because I don’t have to commute daily. If I don’t understand or I am missing something, I can re-watch the recorded video. For me, using a computer online is a piece of cake because I have a strong computer background.
Everything seems good for me. But “ wait a minute”, my 5 senses are beginning to complain. I can’t taste snacks with my classmates. We usually share with each other during breaktime. I can’t smell the odor of the school restroom although it is a little bit disgusting. I can’t hear people talking to each other in our school corridor. My teacher always brings some samples in class to help us learn. I can’t watch real samples in class. Also, I can’t touch and feel the difference between each of the samples. When will our normal class resume?”
Eva S.
“Canadians have been isolated for over 3 months. It’s frustrating and challenging for many parents. Many parents gave up their child’s online learning. For me, it was daunting. I had no clue how to help my kids with my limited language and computer skills.
Luckily, everything started changing when my English teacher told us she would be available to teach us again. My life started shining again. It has been over 10 weeks now. She meets us online every weekday. She is encouraging and caring. We learned a lot of useful things. We also have small breakout rooms to discuss and share our thoughts. Online learning has become “My Best” on weekdays. I see the familiar faces on the screen. I hear classmates’ voices and laughing. It reduces my worries because I know no matter how rough the pandemic is, we can go through it together. Online learning is not only improving my English. It gave me more opportunities to communicate with my kids as well.
I appreciate our teacher for helping us connect together, and also thank the school board for supporting Adult ESL. Because of online learning, I don’t feel alone.”