So classes all over the U.S. are closed until the end of the semester. I can’t help but feel conflicted about it. Obviously, any actions needed to stop the spread of a pandemic should be taken. However, us college students now face a threat most of us could only dream of: no class!
Well, no in-person class. We all watched Spiderman, we all know that with great power comes great responsibility. So why is it then, that I can’t seem to focus on my classwork? It feels like I should still be on break. I had no professor looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t on my phone during the online lecture!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s on us, the students, to actually stay focused, and that is terrifying. How am I supposed to do my homework when I could just stay in bed and sleep all day? Ok, let me reel it back in a little. It isn’t as bad as I make it out to be, and obviously, I prefer being able to do my classwork in boxers and an old sweatshirt.
I just find it interesting how immediate my shift in attitude was. I went from up and at ‘em at 6 a.m. to get ready for class to barely getting out of bed at all! It is an interesting social experiment I guess.
They say there are two kinds of incentives. There is the carrot and there is the stick. The carrot is a sweet, positive reward. The stick is the firm, sometimes negative, reinforcement. The challenge is balancing these aspects. So, before, the stick would be a poor attendance grade, missing your lecture or lab and a huge disadvantage on homework or exams.
Now though, all the lectures are recorded. I have the full ability to tell myself I’ll get to it later! It is ALL CARROTS; there’s no stick! It’s like in Spongebob when Squidward eats all the Krabby Patties then gets fat and his thighs explode, except now I’m Squidward, the Krabby Patties are Netflix and my grades are Squidward’s thighs.
I’m sure we will get used to it after a week or so, but until then we have to stay strong. I know The Office is calling your name for the 5th time but you must resist; you have a lab report to write. Before you ask, no, you can’t promise yourself you’ll do it in the morning either. We all try that and we all know we hit the snooze button five times instead of getting to work.
I think I’ve gone on long enough at this point. We all have work we need to get back to. So let’s all agree to just watch one or two more episodes then really go hard at that class assignment, ok?
