What happens On-Line

An Introverts Plea for offline classes

I am in my second year of university. And my second year of Online classes. There has been a lot of discourse on what online classes do to children, to the kids who’ve never been to school, the people who’ve never been outside their rooms and homes. But one thing I’ve realized over the course of two years is that it makes you more fragile. It makes you sink deeper into your comfort zone. And for someone as introverted as me, it means almost zero social life. But there is something else.

Online classes give you an easy way out. Almost every time. Internet connections give you an almost foolproof way to escape the class. When the teacher asks you a question, you are now able to stay silent and then blame it on your ISP. Even if they don't believe you, you can fiddle around with your sound settings to simulate a choppy connection. And then there’s the flight mode button to trigger when things get really bad.

Beyond getting things done, online classes give you an easier way to not attend classes altogether. Again, it’s easy when you can blame your ISP. It’s easier to get into class late or to silently slip out of class after the attendance is done. Then there’s the huge potential in “sick eyes from all the screen time” as a reason to get excused medical leaves.

I’ve heard people confess that they would like to stay home and attend classes online. Of course, there’s the aspect of being privileged enough to get stuff done from home. But is there an aspect of the person being unable to or being afraid to function socially? Is it induced by the months we’ve spent staring at the unopened window unable to get out of the unmade bed?

Excuses were harder to make when things were in person. It was harder to get away with stuff. There is no escape when the teacher gives you an emotional lecture when the whole class shows up with unsolved problems and unanswered questions. I remember huddling around in intervals to get the homework done, at least a couple o the questions to provide a facade that we had tried. Most teachers saw through it, but again it was something.

I wouldn’t say that the guilt trip was the most foolproof way of motivating the students, but at some point, it worked. At least for a couple of days, we got things done. Moreover, I think it forced you to accept when you messed up, it taught you the basics of behaviour, unlike anything you could learn from your study table in your home. It is one of the most elementary lessons of the fact that at some point in your life, you will need to face your demons.

In-person classes gave you an impetus to go to school even when things were bad. You just went, even when your world stopped revolving. It would be the worst day in school, but it somehow got you through. It spared you from the vicious cycle of doubt and self-destruction that would consume you when you skipped class to stay at home, in hopes of getting better.

In-person classes force you to have some degree of social contact. You need to speak when the teacher calls out your name, you might need to go up in front of the class. There are no choppy connections or cameras that don’t work. You need to get off the bench and get it done with.

All these are things I’ve felt after 13 years of offline classes and 2 years of online classes. I amn’t claiming any authority over these aspects of life, but I am writing this during an hour of the most interesting lecture in my course. I’ve muted my mic, and have figured out how to simulate a choppy connection beyond doubt. I haven’t done my readings, I haven’t been logging into class for some days now. In most classes, I don’t know what’s going on. I drop classes hoping that I would work my ass off one day to get back on track. But deep down I know it is just a way of fooling myself to request that leave to stay in bed the whole day. I think I would have had some idea had I been in university, I would have gone to classes as well.

We need to get back to offline classes soon. We need to arrange sessions to get kids oriented to in-person classes. Otherwise, it’s highly likely that we would end up with a privileged, socially stunted, emotionally fragile population that hopes that classes would continue online and work could happen from home, and a group of underprivileged helpless people trying to earn two square meals.

(hopefully to be continued)