By. John Wingo

I spoke with my professor. Well, I looked at my screen, got on Instagram, and messaged a few people. I called my family and realized I hadn’t eaten.  

I quickly grabbed my bag, prepared lunch and began to sit on the couch to watch Zoom. As class began, my mind was elsewhere. And so was my screen. In retrospect I thought, wow, I’m such a good student. On the couch, in my natural habitat, and watching reality TV. I’ve always thought of this being the college experience.

I can’t help but imagine, are my professors enjoying this?

The dissonance of truly interacting with fellow peers on a day to day basis and wondering, is this the end of in-class education?  Will our kids not know the wonder of spitballs in class, passing notes in class that read, “Do you like me?” with checkboxes that read, “yes, no, or maybe.” 

Will they not know what roasting is? Yo momma jokes? Oh my gosh! Walking down the aisle? Will they know about cafeteria lunchroom rap offs? Getting dressed for the first day of school? So many questions and so many open questions. In any sense, we do have options and we must be familiar with our (school) resources.

First, recognize that many local city halls have a dedicated education budget for those with a household income of $65,000 (dependents vary). This budget is divided into providing trade school education, food stipends, and travel stipends. Second, education options are wide and vast. LinkedIN and Indeed offer certification in selected categories such as: science, business, english, math, UX Design, tech computer info, Microsoft suite, and many more. All of which is for free, and some with pricing options, but most importantly – for accreditation. 

In any sense, we as students use school to socially identify ourselves. The distancing seems much further when there is no travel. I guess the plus side is no one has to worry about who’s sitting on the urine in the bathroom, or being short of change.

However, our best excuse for not being able to make it to class will be “I don’t have WiFi.” This joke is no laughing matter in regards to how the education system has “adapted” to the less fortunate that do not have access to the internet or an internet capable device. Today consumption is most notable. Will computers become our programmers or will we equip ourselves with the proper skills capable of building infrastructure in demand and wireframing?

Posted by:Charlotte Roberts