A lost schoolyear because of Covid-19?

 Covid-19 was a shock for all of us. The schools in Austria were suddenly closed and all

children were sent home. The turbulent everyday life of pupils was suddenly no longer

turbulent but instead monotonous and boring. Many months later, half of the class returned

to school for two days at a time. And now, on Monday 17 th of May 2021, the long-awaited

face-to-face teaching in the schools has started again. And the legitimate question arises: did

Covid-19 cost us a year of education? What would you say?

I would say no. Of course, it was a new, unfamiliar and perhaps not easy kind of learning

during Covid-19. But one thing is for certain:

Students learned a lot that they would never have been taught at school.

Firstly, pupils became more independent. They learned how to organize themselves and

structure their day. They also gained discipline as they were forced to hand in challenging

tasks on time. Moreover, they also had to follow a healthy routine in order not to harm their

body as they did not go to their regular sports trainings. All of this led to more self-control.

Secondly, pupils gained a lot of general knowledge and realized that school is not the most

important thing in life. Furthermore, they gained useful knowledge in technology, which was

unavoidable due to all the distance learning. Teenagers also learnt a lot about politics and

the whole world because they consumed a lot of media. They learned to make up their own

minds without the influence of others. All this led to an improvement in knowledge.

In conclusion, I think that distance learning has had a positive effect in many ways. Students

were able to learn new things and to gain experience for life. Therefore, in my opinion they

haven´t lost this schoolyear. But what do you think? Do you have any other experiences? Tell

me in the comments. Be careful and stay safe!