A TEACHER'S JOURNEY IN THE AGE OF CORONA

It came like a bolt from the blue when an ambiguous directive came to the teaching fraternity to continue to be available for their duties as per their time tables through e-resources. It threw all the teachers into tizzy.

 As the classroom teaching is suspended, it becomes a challenging time for the Teachers to navigate an unfamiliar 'online' terrain to recreate a reassuring sense of continuity and community.

 It is not only the parents who are concerned about the future of the children, there are their second parents too (if considered so). Parents must understand that teachers too have a new learning curve when we talk about online education.

 It disappoints me deeply when parents put up on social media that online teaching is a gimmick! What they don't see is the countless hours put into each session in terms of content and qualitative delivery. Teachers have been multitasking, researching and developing material brushing up their technical skills.

 Isn't it that parents are expecting way too much from teachers? Teachers have enough on their plate too. Like parents they are having to do work for students' classes,put food on the table for their own family, fulfilling their entire domestic commitments and get going in this pandemic.

 If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't mean that teachers are scamming you. With every passing day and the lockdown, this debate 'Real teachers versus online teachers' will get intensify. Why is there such a trust gap between parents and teachers these days? It's a question we all need to address and in the light of unusual events make an extra effort to understand each other.

 As a teacher, I plead with everyone to stand by the teaching fraternity around the globe who ensure that children continue learning from home during this pandemic. Besides,we mustn't forget 'Half bread is always better than nothing'.

#SalaamTeachers