Penelope Lukes: How I Study Through Lockdown

COVID restrictions are tough all around and studying through lockdowns is challenging. In this article, Matrix scholarship holder Penelope Lukes shares her tips to study through lockdown and stay on top.

How I study through lockdown

Last year, in March 2020, our school (along with NSW’s other public schools) was left suspended in ambiguity as COVID-19 cases continued to rise and many of my friends were ceasing to attend school, staying home for the foreseeable future.

Thankfully, SGHS was quick to respond to the news of school closure, swiftly implementing an online learning platform. While the implementation process involved a lot of trial and error (our school email server received so much demand it became practically obsolete…), both students and teachers were forgiving and understanding. Many of us struggled with online learning, but our teachers were always around to help us. For example, my textiles class was forced to complete the practical component of our assessment from home, but we were able to constantly send photos of our work to our teacher, who would find us resources and guide us through our process.

It was hard to adapt to the absence of our peers. Our year group is very close – we are all friends and vital support networks for one another. Many girls used online platforms to call each other and communicate, and our year advisor set up a Google Classroom with fun challenges to distract us from the monotony of life under shutdown. Even these little things helped take the burden off the individual and made us feel as if we were all in this together.

How did you cope with COVID stress personally?

COVID-19 brought with it some of the most anxiety and stress I have felt in my life. The looming threat of the case count on the news, the uncertainty of school closures and my own personal anxieties about what, at the time, seemed an almost apocalyptic event immensely challenged my mental health. I found it hard to sleep, hard to focus during the day and struggled to find purpose in my learning amongst the crazy global landscape. As well as this, I felt claustrophobic and in need of escape, stuck every day in the same small space.

I am a creature of habit. When I was attending school, I had a fixed weekly routine that I followed closely. As soon as in-person learning ceased, I knew the one thing I needed to keep myself tethered to a state of calm was a brand-new routine. By planning my day, from classes to breaks to time for studying and homework, I was able to accomplish everything I needed to every day, leaving me feeling productive. Additionally, adhering to my schedule gave me a sense of control during a period where everything else was unpredictable.

In this same vein, I prioritized cooking healthy meals, regular exercise, time outdoors and pursuing personal hobbies where possible. This helped combat both my anxiety and the heavy, sluggish feeling of isolation by bringing a little bit of wellness into my life. I found I slept better and started each day with something to look forward to, increasing productivity and helping me get all my school-related tasks done.

Finally, on days where I was not feeling up to a rigorous schedule, I didn’t beat myself up for taking time for self-care. Examining how my body felt, allowing my intuition to dictate my actions for that day, was important in maintaining my mental health.

How did you manage remote learning?

Remote learning was definitely a complication to my high school life.

Once again, maintaining routine was a key factor in keeping myself up to date in my studies. By planning out what I wanted to do each day I was able to maintain or exceed my pre-COVID productivity levels.

Last year, as school teachers were still gaining a grasp on the use of online platforms, I found I was self-teaching a lot of the content for subjects like Chemistry and Economics. Instead of neglecting these subjects, I used my free time to move ahead in the content, so I understood new concepts when I attended online lessons.

The self-guided structure of online learning worked surprisingly well for me, and I found it liberating to work at my own pace. While I missed the structure of planned teaching by the end of the NSW shutdown, I found I enjoyed the opportunity to explore a new method of learning!

Ultimately, by looking at learning as an opportunity rather than a burden I was able to cope very well with remote learning and its’ unique challenges.

What study strategies did you have to adopt to thrive?

The first thing I had to change was my approach to learning new content. I found online lessons much more difficult to follow, leaving gaping holes in my knowledge. To combat this, I:

• Used Matrix+
• Made notes from the textbook at least one topic ahead of classwork so I could head into online lessons more confident that I could follow the content.
• Turned to online resources like Khan Academy, Crash Course and WooTube (for Mathematics) to review and supplement my in-class learning.
• Spent some time doing review questions to ensure the content was engrained in my brain.

These methods ended up being even more effective than my pre-pandemic study methods, cutting down exam revision time as I did not have to relearn the content.

Secondly, I soon found it was possible to study TOO much. During the first few weeks of quarantine, I found myself finishing the days burnt out and unmotivated after spending almost all day locked away in a futile attempt to be productive. As the shutdown period gave me a lot more time, I eventually realized I needed to substitute those extra hours with a personal hobby. I did a lot of crochet – a repetitive task allowing me to stretch my fingers and meditate on my thoughts. While it seemed counterintuitive to spend more time on things that aren’t school-related, I found it ultimately made me more productive and more motivated, ultimately lifting my mental health and my school performance. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

If you could have planned for the pandemic, what would you have done?

On one side of things, if I had heard that the pandemic was going to occur, I would have taken the start of Term 1 a little more seriously and organised myself a lot earlier. As Term 1 wasn’t heavy on assessments I think I slacked off a bit. However, when I started to realise that school closure was a very, very real possibility I also realised I still didn’t have a rhythm for my homework and study. So, if I knew COVID-19 was coming, I would have kicked my study routine into gear a bit quicker, so I wasn’t scrambling to adapt.

On the other hand, I think I would have tried to cherish every free moment, making the most of the opportunity to go out with friends and family, visit Sydney’s beautiful beaches and soak up the last of the summer weather. I can’t help but feel a little wistful that I spent so long of my year cooped up inside, and I wish I had taken advantage of our freedom while it lasted.
Final thoughts

This year has been a real tough one. I’ve felt all its ups and downs in both my academic and personal life. I struggled with motivation and mental health more than I ever have before, as the things that used to come easiest to me suddenly seemed more difficult than ever.

However, my experiences during the pandemic weren’t all bad. I finally embraced learning as a way to broaden my perspectives and strengthen my skills for the future, rather than simply a compulsory task. I also learnt how vital it is to balance hobbies and passions with learning to avoid burnout.

While COVID-19’s emergence has left our world frozen, I can’t help but feel a little hopeful for the future. I know the lessons I learnt through this pandemic will prepare me for both Year 12 and for the rest of my life, and I’m forever thankful I could embrace this opportunity to learn, grow and change.

Want support through lockdown?

Matrix+ is there to help you stay ahead when everything else is shut down. Learn more.