My Quarantine Experience and Challenges

I feel as though the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a seismic tear in both the
communities of the internet and real-life by upheaving peace and normalcy.
Online, new articles, hashtags, and posts about every little update and tidbit about the
Coronavirus are being pumped out every second, every minute, every hour, every day
and in every corner, leaving no digital stones untouched. Panic runs rampant as the
rhetoric portrays the beginning of the apocalypse and the end of the world as we know
it. It’s as if the internet has been set ablaze with no fire-exits to escape, with no
firefighters to extinguish the flames.
While in real life, the world feels paralyzed in a suspenseful state of anticipation of the
dreaded future. It’s eerily quiet, with almost no one is outside out and about, the only
sounds that can be heard are the occasional birds chirping, the soft drops of the spring
rain, and the wind whistling through the trees. Despite the crystal clears blue skies from
the lack of traffic, the future couldn’t be more obfuscated and befogged as everyone
waits anxiously in isolation hoping for the pandemic to pass.
While they may seem radically different on the surface, they both share an underlying
root of fear that drives both of their reactions. Fear floods the internet with so much
information that it overwhelms everyone on it, causing chaos and panic. While on the
other hand, the unknown and highly contagious nature of the virus causes almost
everyone to be scared straight and stiff in their homes, with nearly no one even daring
to leave them even for the essentials.

Starting the school year late or interrupting completely and disrupts the lives of many
children, their parents, and teachers. A lot can be done to at least reduce the impact
through remote learning strategies. Richer countries are better prepared to move to
online learning strategies, although with a lot of effort and challenges for teachers and
parents. In middle-income and poorer countries, the situation is very mixed and if we do
not act appropriately, the vast inequality of opportunities that exists – egregious and
unacceptable to start with – will be amplified. Many children do not have a desk, books,
internet connectivity, a laptop at home, or supportive parents. Others do. What we need
to avoid – or minimize as much as possible – is for those differences in opportunities to
expand and cause the crisis to have an even larger negative effect on poor children’s
learning.
Fortunately, we are seeing a lot of creativity in many countries. Rightly so, many
ministries of education are worried that relying exclusively on online strategies will imply
reaching only children from better-off families. The appropriate strategy in most
countries is to use all possible delivery modes with the infrastructure that exists today.
Use online tools to assure that lesson plans, videos, tutorials, and other resources are
available for some students and probably, most teachers. But also, podcasts and other
resources that require less data usage. Working with telecommunication companies to
apply zero-rate policies can also facilitate learning material to be downloaded on a
smartphone, which more students are likely to have. 

During this chaos, we then realize the weight of humanity, the implications of our
actions and how we all are connected. While we wait for borders to be opened, so that
we can go back home in the comfort of our bed, we hear the shouts of refugees louder,
we 'empathize' with those who have been uprooted from their home, and force to flee,
we understand their pain and suffering because we know how it feels. '

We know that we share only religion that is humanity, and this crisis is bringing
humanity out of people. The world is changing, it is healing, there is light at the end of
the tunnel. Pollution is being cleared off, the equilibrium is being restored, and at the
end of this, the world will heal. There are so many lessons of humanity to take on from
there: racism, health, love and how to embrace uncertainty and make something out of
it!

But I feel incredibly optimistic about the future, there is an antidote to fear, as it is HOPE
that will pull us through these difficult times. By having faith that this virus will pass,
listening to the medical professionals and authorities, staying indoors, keeping good
hygiene, social distancing, not giving in to the fear-mongering (like hoarding toilet paper
and such), and being mindful and supportive for those deeply affected either physically
or emotionally, I whole- heartily believe that we will be able to persevere and come out
stronger than ever!