Summary of the 3 Group Presentations

The past few weeks' classes were home to three student groups' presentations. Two of them were about the COVID-19 pandemic, with one focusing on its effects on education. The last group presented racism and allowed us to see the bigger picture of this problem we encounter so often.

It was easiest to relate to the one about education. It's not often you get to see students complaining about online classes in online classes! This group voiced the thoughts and worries we've had since the beginning of school in times of COVID. Won't it be hard to focus on studying when you're on the same computer you use to game all night? Will I be able to understand classes with my younger sister and dog making noise in the background? How will I ask my teacher if I don't understand? This last question has a response: send an email! However, the others don't, and I'm glad the presentation addressed this issue.

There was a Kahoot game at the end of this presentation. I had never heard of Kahoot, and when the teacher mentioned it, I thought of this thing: ➡️

I know that's a Kazoo, but it was the closest thing that came to my mind.

The presentation about COVID, in general, had a much broader approach. One of its main points was how the world has accustomed to wearing masks and following other guidelines, creating a new sense of "normal." In my case, the pandemic followed another drastic change in my life, so I have accepted this new way of living. It is, however, rather frightening to see how our bodies have developed an instinct to feel our hands are dirty after every touch; to wear a mask every time we approach someone, etc. I am rather happy to have heard from this presentation that it's slowly becoming optional to wear a mask. Maybe we'll return to our true "normal" soon? We can only hope so.

The presentation about racism took an in-depth approach to its topic. From the types of racism to a tutorial on how to be anti-racist, they covered a variety of themes. A comparison between the anti-racist movements of yesteryear and the ones we have today stuck with me. Although no one wants to be involved with racism, this presentation reminded me that as long as it exists, we can't escape it. It is hard to put our hope on modern anti-racism, as many of its activists, some of which celebrities, are locked on the belief that only white people can be racist, which is a racist ideology itself. However, listening to this presentation from my classmates made me hope that someday, the color of our skin will be something we can laugh together about instead of hating each other for.