As we complete another week of impactful live lessons, it was great to get a few more accounts from our students about their experiences and how they are trying to make the best of the circumstances we find ourselves in. It really is inspiring to hear about the maturity and positivity students are showing. The students being profiled in these articles demonstrate how we can all really make the most of any situation we face and we should feel encouraged to turn these situations into opportunities for us to do something really nice for ourselves. I hope what they share inspires you to do something even more positive for yourself, as I’m sure you really deserve it!

Here is what one of our most active Year 7 Student Parliament members, Briana Ciuhureanu had to say:

Hi! My name is Briana and I thought I would share my online learning experience as I hear that some of you might be struggling.

So, I usually start my school day by getting all of my things ready in advance. I would say about 10-15 minutes or so before my lessons start. This time is used to get out my planner, books, pencil case and open all of my necessary documents or slides, so that when I do start my day, I do not need to fuss about it. Once my first period is over,I submit my work straight away as I am likely to forget by the end. Then I have my second period and I submit the work right after that too.

Now,I am a strong believer in “take your break” as you are in need of it after two consecutive hours at your computer screen. So, as soon as I have submitted my work I take a walk around the house, eat, get a drink, and just spend some time away from my laptop. I then come back about 5 mins before I need to start my lessons and once again open all of my tabs. Then I submit my work and on to the next lesson. By now, it would be getting close to lunch and when I first started online learning I really wanted to eat. However, I now understand that this is not a suitable thing to do. This is because you will get distracted, make a mess and end up not learning anything. I suggest that if you wanted to eat or go to the bathroom, you should have done so at break as we don’t do this in lessons at school, so the same rule applies at home.

After my fourth period, I once again walk around the house and eat lunch. I know that some people do not eat, but that is quite bad for you as you will end up feeling hungry and not able to focus on your studies. After, Lunch, I head up and finish my final lesson.

Now that my day is over, I usually do an activity such as painting, reading,or spending time with my family – anything in general that is away from a screen.

And so, that is what my day consists of most of the time, but of course, this schedule varies depending on the day. I like to do different things daily as we are stuck at home and do not want to get bored of our routines.

Wow! What stunning artwork! Briana is really making the most of her time away from the screen. I imagine it is very therapeutic to immerse yourself in something like painting – great for your wellbeing. Well done Briana!

Here is what one of our aspiring Year 9 STEM Leaders, Trishan Chudasama, said about his average, remote learning day:

I wake up at around 8:00am to get ready for online classes. After finishing my daily routine, I prepare the resources for my first two lessons of the day. I make sure that my door is closed so there are no distractions. If I cannot concentrate, I listen to some music to help. I also use some time from my breaks to prepare for the next lessons if the resources have been uploaded to Google Classroom.
After all of the lessons are finished, I go out for a brisk walk which can vary from 8,500 to 10,000 steps, depending on which path I take. The walk really helps me clear my mind and helps me get a good sleep for the next day.

Like Trishan, are you ensuring you get some fresh air and doing your body the world of good by regularly getting your steps in? Think carefully about what you could do that would really benefit your wellbeing and bring a healthy balance to work and play.

Thank you to Briana and Trishan for sharing their experiences with us. Have a wonderful week.