Denial to study under quarantine.

Alone. Isolated. Scared. Anxious. Worried. Insecure. Bored. Frustrated. Feelings that I have learned to welcome when they sail uninvited in my realm of thoughts, let them drift as I observe them. In these moments, I try to remember that hope exists and that optimism is my chosen perspective under quarantine.

One by one, countries all around the world have shut down their international borders. At a national level, quarantine is the new way of life since it is the only kind of prevention against Covid-19. We wake up at home, attend our classes from home, work from home, shop from home and engage in all types of daily activity that we used to do, from home.

As a teacher, it breaks my heart to see my students feeling bored (which is a synonym for “sad”), anxious and discouraged. The first times that some of them didn’t hand in their work on time, I couldn’t sympathise. What excuse is there, under times of total quarantine and complete isolation, for any student, regardless of age or level, not to have studied?

As the days passed, I kept quietly watching the same reaction from the majority of them. Not in every lesson, but in quite a few. It made me reflect on myself. How was I handling my schedule under this quarantine? Did I continue to be always ‘on the go’, super-organised, with ready extra material for everyone at hand, checking all hw as soon as possible, blogging, studying arabic and simultaneously doing another thousand things daily? Well, NO. 

I had also slowed everything down. I was also procrastinating. Especially, in the first few days of the quarantine that I didn’t know how long it would last, how many things were to be organised and for how long, how to predict the potential new exam dates and so much more. So, of course, my students are experiencing it. All of us have lost any sense of normality and this takes a toll on our studying as well.

However, just like everything else, there are some ways to combat this denial to study.

• Ask for extra time. 

Let’s simply request it. Since we do not normally do things at the rate that we used to, when our teacher assigns new homework, which clearly feels too much for us, let us state that. I am sure that if you politely ask for more time, explaining the reason, any teacher will be understanding.

However, this should not be an excuse for not handing in homework at all.

• Talk it Out.

During this difficult time, it would be really helpful if you talked to your teacher about how you feel, which highly gets in the way of your studying preparation. Open up to them, share your worries, stress and random thoughts. It is more than certain that they will see where you are coming from and they will encourage you with reasons to keep on working towards your goals. Sharing your thoughts and feelings will definitely lighten the burden that you might be feeling.

• Adopt a semblance of a program. 

Even if that means that you are planing to study only half days of the week, have more frequent breaks, study during the night, you and you alone, during these unprecedented conditions, can design a flexible studying program. Whatever that is, stick to it. It will give you a sense of routine for your studying and won’t leave you feeling completely lost.

• Stay open-minded towards your homework.

Certainly, nothing is happening ‘by the book’ these days, therefore feel free to escape from the traditional ways of doing homework. If typical book exercises make you suffocate from boredom, after discussing it with your teacher, you can discover a variety of ways to change your homework. Perhaps it is time for more projects on topics that you find interesting, perhaps you miss some speaking games throughout your lesson or simply practise listening by songs.

I am sure that we will all get through this difficult time together, by currently staying at home and staying safe!