After an unexpected week off school because of COVID-19, my college started up classes again in an online format. To say it was a completely different experience would be a complete understatement.
Throughout my entire academic career, I've never once had any class online, so this is completely uncharted territory. To make matters a little more complicated, I hate phone calls and video chats despite my goal to become a journalist. It's not just any calls I get from strangers, but people I know too. Logically, I know that there shouldn't be any reason to feel anxious every time I get or make a phone call, but it happens. There was only one person who I was ever completely comfortable video chatting with, but they're not in my life anymore, so I'm stuck feeling anxious.
I had three classes this past week, and each was vastly different. One had me using my webcam, where the other two were just audio. The first two classes were smaller classes, but the third one I had was more people.
One of the first things I realized from these online classes was that you need to have a completely different mindset if you want to succeed in online classes. In the two classes where I didn't need to use my video camera, I found myself pacing my room and cleaning it while the lecture was going on. While it might seem like a good way to multitask, I think that I need to completely focus on the class. Part of what helps me from being so restless during class is if I'm doing something.
For the upcoming week, I think I'm going to set up my notes early and in a way that I can write quickly. I may even set up a bracelet to work on to keep my hands busy while I'm listening. I've found that it's helped before, so why not give it a shot in a different situation.
Hopefully, the online classes will only last until the end of the semester, but the circumstances called for online classes for the safety of everyone. Instead of seeing it as a bad thing, I see it as a new adventure. I'm viewing online classes as the opportunity to learn a little more self-discipline if I ever want to be a freelance writer or start my own company. While the situation of COVID-19 as a whole is in no way god, I am an optimistic person and I'm choosing to see it as a chance to better myself.
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