Online learning - stories that are both funny and sad.

The whole family is struggling because their child is studying online.

This is the first year that online learning has been implemented right at the beginning of the new school year, and in a situation where many teachers and students are not yet familiar with each other. This is especially difficult for elementary school students because at this age they lack self-discipline, many are hyperactive, and still prefer playing...

My child is just starting to get acquainted with it.online learningJust two sessions, one for the main class and one for the teacher to meet the child, but Ms. Mai Thanh from Hung Binh ward, Vinh city, already felt exhausted and overwhelmed having to follow her child through the entire school day.

Regarding this, Ms. Thanh said: "My child is only in second grade this year and is still very playful, so when he/she is studying, either the father or the mother sits beside him/her to supervise. In nearly two hours of studying with my child, I honestly feel that the children don't learn much because the homeroom teacher has to spend a lot of time reminding the students. Many mischievous students don't even turn off their microphones, so there's quite a lot of noise... Yesterday, after finishing the reading lesson, I even heard the homeroom teacher complaining, 'I'm so tired!' I feel sorry for both the teacher and the students."

Online learning for first-grade students is always a very difficult task for families. Photo: MH

Kim Long's daughter (from Nghi Kim commune) is also starting school this year.Grade 1However, more than a month ago, when the pandemic resurfaced, she sent her child to live with grandparents in Quynh Luu and has not been able to return to school since. Because her child lives far away and studies via Zoom, she has to keep her phone on throughout the lesson to both comfort and remind her child to study. But even with their best efforts, they only manage 35 minutes before the child "hides under the covers and cries." The lesson, which was supposed to last two hours according to the schedule, ends prematurely.

Although they had anticipated the difficulties, just one day after their children started learning online, many parents shared their family stories.

On one of the forums for mothers in Nghe An, when asked "How was your child's first online class?", hundreds of comments were received with many "funny and sad" stories. Ms. Hai Le said: The whole class was studying seriously when suddenly one student hadn't turned off their microphone, and then a parent shouted loudly, leaving the whole class stunned and confused.

Many families find themselves in awkward situations when their children study online. Photo: HL

Another parent burst out laughing when their child asked, "Dad, where did the teacher go? The other students are looking for her. She was lecturing and then suddenly disappeared." Having accompanied her child throughout the entire lesson, Ms. Phuong Nguyen didn't know how to answer when, in just over an hour, dozens of questions kept repeating themselves: "Mom, I can't hear the teacher," "Mom, my computer froze," "Mom, I got kicked out..."

Teachers work hard.

Right from the start of online learning, the Nghe An education sector has advocated dividing classes into three shifts: morning, afternoon, and evening, with various time slots. However, due to the extremely high volume of traffic, network congestion or inability to access online classes has become a frequent occurrence.

Teaching online is a unique experience for many teachers. Photo: PV

Thao Nguyen's child's class, 4C, has 48 students, and a survey showed that over 70% of them have computers for online learning. However, during the first lesson, although the class was scheduled to start at 5 PM, some students still couldn't connect even after 6 PM. After a short time, internet outages became frequent...

Some students managed to restart their computers just as the class ended. Throughout the course, parents in the class's private Zalo group interacted constantly because their children's computers were experiencing problems. On the second day, even though the internet connection improved, many parents still had difficulty getting their children into the class; some even tried four different computers without success.

After the initial days of getting used to and teaching online, a primary school teacher in Vinh City also said: Teaching an online lesson is two or three times more difficult than teaching normally. Although we try our best and still want to impart as much knowledge to the children as possible, with this method of learning, if the children absorb 50-60%, that's already a great success.

Teachers at Tra Lan Secondary School conduct online classes at the school. Photo: PV

At the middle and high school levels, even though students are more aware and have become familiar with online learning, managing the classroom is still not easy.

Ms. Thanh Thuy, whose child is in 7th grade in Vinh, said: "I think teachers are overworked because they have to both teach students and interact with parents to inform them about their children's progress. This morning, in my child's class, the teacher took screenshots of students who didn't turn on their cameras to ask parents to remind their children, fearing they weren't taking their studies seriously. Assigning homework and checking students' work will also be difficult, and if a teacher isn't enthusiastic and dedicated, they might easily become lax."

Despite guidelines from the Department of Education and Training, many schools still include too many subjects in the timetables for elementary school students. Photo: MH

Many parents and students have concerns surrounding online learning. Currently, according to education regulations, primary school students should focus on only three subjects: Math, Vietnamese, and Foreign Language. However, the online learning schedule is no different from a regular school day. For example, in Ms. Mai Thanh's child's class, the schedule for Tuesday starts at 7 PM, with the first lesson being Physical Education. Regarding this illogical subject arrangement, she said, "My child just finished eating and now they're making him exercise? I don't know how he'll manage."

For junior high schools, many schools have also scheduled lessons such as Music, Physical Education, and Art into online learning schedules, and many parents believe this is not really necessary. Ms. Pham Lien, whose child is in 8th grade, said: "I think every subject is important, but not every subject is suitable for online teaching. Perhaps schools need to be flexible in arranging timetables so that online learning is effective and does not 'cause difficulties' for both teachers and students..."

After two days of online learning, alongside the positive aspects, clear difficulties and shortcomings have also emerged. To adapt to this new situation, in addition to the efforts, cooperation, and support of parents and students, the effective management and operation of online teaching still requires greater involvement from the education sector and schools. Addressing these difficulties promptly will help make online learning easier and achieve its goals.