When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything was put to a screeching halt, including education. A lot of schools are forced to close, even when some are in the middle of the school year, to slow the spread of the virus. Afterwards, they reverted to alternative learning schemes in order to cope with the challenges of the present day and allow students to continue to learn amid the lockdown.

Although some students are already into home-schooling prior to this, we can’t deny that the majority of the student population is used to the conventional way. And so, it is pretty difficult for them to make the switch and adapt to the new normal. Here are some steps to help students, especially those in middle school, to cope with the shift and be a successful student even in the face of a pandemic.

• Stay connected. Technology plays a very important role in the new normal. Since face-to-face interactions are discouraged and instructions are moved online, you need a dependable Internet connection to see you through. Invest on a dependable provider to keep you connected and also support your social connections. It is very important that you also maintain your connections with your friends and colleagues for your sanity.
• Be patient. This is not an easy shift and nobody is expecting you to do it with flying colours the first time. So be patient, even with yourself. As long as you are doing the best that you can, you will get by.
• Maintain discipline. At home, there could be a hundred and one distractions that could keep you from finishing all your school works. Do not let those distractions get in the way. It pays to have enough discipline to know where to draw the line between school work and rest, school work and play, etc.
• Don’t let your school works accumulate. Do what you need to do so your tasks would no pile up. It would be difficult to keep up when your school deadlines are always at your hills. It is okay to rest in between periods but never miss out on a school work because that will destroy your pace.
• Ask for help if you need to. If you are struggling to keep up, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You will realize that a lot of resources and pathways are made available to sufficiently support online students to keep up. Other than that, you may also seek help for emotional support if you need it, from friends and especially the family that’s beside you.

Instead of looking at the ugly side, think positively. The new normal is teaching us to be more resilient and more patient. Although the pandemic has taken so much from us, it is teaching us very important lessons that we could use in life.