Everybody who is capable of learning has taken to Teaching!
March 15, 2020….advisory issued pan India to maintain social distancing in schools owing to the spread of the super fatal COVID 19.
March 18, 2020….schools closed all over the country.
March 22, 2020……lockdown begins for the entire country.
Life comes to a halt…..schools, colleges, Malls, theaters, shops, factories, hotels, road transport, airways, Parliament…all stop working!!
“Work from home”- was the new TAGLINE.
Owing to the epidemic all other institutions started partially working on these lines….all eyes were now hooked on to schools. A school which is just not a building but a place where an entire gamut of activities go on, the entire day is packed with motion, movement and commotion had to rise to the situation and begin with what is called VIRTUAL TEACHING. Thanks to COVID 19!
This specie called TEACHER……showed a quick transformation during the lockdown which was exemplary. As an Educator and a head of the institution I saw a quick acceptance instead of reluctance towards this change which was nothing less than a gigantic challenge. Corona Virus has challenged the medical fraternity across the globe but could not dare to disgrace the undoubting mettle of the Teachers.
Within hours, the think tanks of my institution created a Virtual school. Simple – yet no less creative – solutions were implemented. Digital Teaching took a toll over the teachers for the initial days. It was a delight to see Teachers Transforming themselves with the jet speed. Quite understandable that digital teaching was no rocket science but for those educators who were adapting themselves gradually to this tech era, converting their teaching resources into a digi platform in a jiffy was an arduous task. ‘Transformation’ can sometimes feel like an empty signifier, like one of those clichés people trot out to make the work they do seem larger and more significant than it really is…”how does one move from aspiring to transformation to achieving it?” I saw this happening live with my educators-from 58 year old to the young mothers, from the Hindi dept to the sports, from the music teachers recording the songs to the ICT team of the school helping one another…..all transformed themselves.
The classes began for the entire school with the same gusto as a normal session begins. A digitally safe environment was created, learning ,engagement and participation of the pupils was taken care of full proof .My tech gurus worked on improvising their data base, new worksheets and resource material was prepared, new ERP generated with better features, demo classes, faculty meetings, innovative techniques of online teaching kept them busy 24X7, feedbacks taken from the stake holders and improvements generated.
It was the encounter of an alternative life, working of people that often exist as stereotypes triggered The Transformation-Yes a transformation which shall not last for a few weeks, or till the lockdown lifts or for a session but for a lifetime and leave its impact on the upcoming young enthusiasts who like to be inspired.
The difference these tech gurus made in the learning and lives of their students is worth praising. As technology continues to expand and the rate of change increases, I feel proud in saying that teachers can face any challenge.
Let me wrap up with a salute to these Transformed Tech Gurus to keep up the Good work!!
Shikha Banerjee
Principal – Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Kanpur