adapt
verb
- make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose; modify."hospitals have had to be adapted for modern medical practice
- become adjusted to new conditions."a large organization can be slow to adapt to change"
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| adaptation is the key to survival |
When we were asked this question during a class dialogue session, the whole room rumbled into chatter as everyone complained about the new environment, academics, tests and all.
The others voiced out about being overwhelmed with assignments, short deadlines for homework, teachers who rushed through lessons. They spoke of having to sacrifice sleep, surviving on mere four or three hours of sleep just to try to complete the work, yet in the end it was still unfinished. The teachers left us more or less alone, we had to take initiative to seek consultations to clarify doubts, as compared to secondary school where learning was more handheld.
This new lifestyle the presented us were hard to adapt to, by some. There was no more time to meet up with friends on weekdays, nor enough time spend time with family since we ended lessons late. Sleep was a luxury, a small blissfulness we could indulge in only on weekends, and every day we woke up looking forward to the June holidays. It seemed like many of us have already started to lose our purpose, our motivation, or burning streak.
What about me, you may ask?
While listening to the other's views and opinions, I somehow felt like my situation was confusing because it went two ways:
It was technically much more challenging for me to adapt to a junior college, a mainstream school environment. Various (or all) aspects were completely foreign to me: assembly, pledge-taking, having to move around for classes, waking up much much earlier, taking the same bus every day at the same bus stop, expectations from the school.
However, it was somewhat easier for me as a homeschooler to adapt somehow, because for me previously, my 'school' hours lasted the whole day. Due to online classes conducted from the other side of the globe, some of my lessons were in the evening (my time here), and hence I had come to somewhat get used to absorbing info and exercising my brain till the night. When homeschooled, I learned to take charge of my own learning, taking initiative to ask questions or clarify with the teachers, hence I found out I was not as shy or hesitant compared to some classmates when clarifying doubts in school.
One could say being a homeschooler gave me an upper hand in junior college, however it can also be argued that it left me at a disadvantage.
In different stages of education, in different parts of life, in the environment, we all face changes. Adaptation is an important thing we have to do, in order to thrive in our environment. So, instead of complaining and resisting the change, why not accept the change, get used to it and find ways for you to do well in the new environment?
So, how are you adapting?
