Covid-19 has changed the culture of education

Deja Davis
Editor-in-Chief

March 12, 2020 is a day I will always remember simply because the world that I once knew…had changed right before my eyes.

While heading home for Spring Break, I never imagined that would be my last time in the presence of my peers, my professors, or Jackson State’s atmosphere as a whole. When word spread that JSU was going virtual, my trip back to school was postponed.

Being at home for five months, completing work virtually, which is now known as the “new normal”  was definitely a test.

COVID-19 has forced innumerable changes in the world, making education virtual, and that is far from the same as being in person. My last semester is being spent boringly staring at my laptop, while attending my weekly Zoom classes in bed.

The average person would most likely ask “What’s wrong with that?” or say “You have free time to do whatever you want.”

That might be true, but the culture of education is not the same.

Switching to online made more room for technical issues, distractions, as well as time management. Most students prefer to learn face-to-face in a classroom to gain a better understanding, hence that online learning can quickly become very overwhelming with numerous due dates coming all at once for assignments.

It also leads to more procrastination, the feeling of being disengaged to the new way of learning; as well as some students looking forward to taking a year off until things get back to what was normal.

Which brings me to my next point: Senior year is supposed to be the most memorable year of college, other than freshman year. And while I will never forget this, these are not the memories I envisioned for my senior year of college.

Coming in as a freshman, I had always dreamed about what graduating from an illustrious HBCU would feel like. Wearing my cap and gown, expecting that rush of excitement while placing my tassel to the left is a gutted feeling that I unfortunately will never get to experience  to conclude my undergraduate years.

A college graduation is the final transition from adolescence to adulthood that I strongly believe all students should get to experience once in their life.

I will greatly miss hanging out with my friends, taking my last walk down the Gibbs-Green Plaza, writing my last Blue & White Flash article, eating my last meal in the Student Center, going to my last Hotspot, attending my last Boombox Classic, and making more long-lasting memories.

Even though all of these things were taken away, I am still forever grateful to have my family’s support during this time to start preparing for my future as an alumnus from TheeiLove.

To the seniors: This is a tragic time for us, but we have no choice but to make the best of it. Keeping this year as a reminder that some things will not go as planned in life, no matter how big or small, it is very important to always keep going.

Class of 2020, we deserve everything that is coming our way in life, do not let this disappointing time stop you.

We STILL did it!