Completely exhausted today, since my mischievous niece managed to get a silver ring, stuck on her little finger, had to rush her to the hospital where she is advised to use calamine solution, but the ring remains on her swollen, bluish finger so we headed to the goldsmith where her agony finally comes to a dramatic end. I breathe calmly again and thank the three-eyed divine whose name I chanted continuously.

This pandemic has brought drastic changes in all spheres of life, on the other hand, have really been fortunate to still have a job, and till date, I haven’t had faced any pay cuts, yet am human and we are bound to crib.

I consider myself to be a very friendly person but sharing my number with strangers is something that I used to shy away from, now with the onset of online classes since last year, guess I have become fearless.

Occasionally I get crank calls and the scariest one was when I got a call at midnight and heard a husky, heavy male voice sighing into my ears, that was really scary.

Our personal space is no longer ours, we are accountable to our students, their queries at any given time. In fact, even on a holiday with my friend I was busy attending online meetings.

However, thinking on the bright side, humans have always persevered for we know how to tackle problems, we have been built that way maybe that’s why we function better when we are stressed out. Problem-solving skills come down to us only when we face problems in the first place.

So much for adult problems, let us not forget our children, our students, the reason I am earning a name and respect in society, let me talk about them.

So the pandemic has holed our kids in deep burrows but, I just read that Zydus Cadila’s 3 doses have been approved for children of 12 years and above.

That’s welcome news, maybe our kids will now get a chance to return back to normality, though kids below 12 may have to wait longer, but guess the hope is what makes humanity move ahead so progress may take time yet we are moving on.

This pandemic got me thinking a lot as I had plenty of time to do that, for my mind is like a monkey it does rush from branch to branch and spins a web-like stream of consciousness novel.

Thinking about my students, how they must have been coping with their anxieties, their frustrations especially the adolescents.

Now it’s been more than a year and counting since they have been forced to be in the confinement of their homes. At a time when they need to be outside playing, meeting their friends, and learning about each other, we have kept them home.

I know it’s for their own safety but are we catering to their needs. I haven’t met them since the lockdown was announced this year.

But I see them growing up, many look obese. Some I heard are busy making memes on us teachers and some students.

My heart really goes to the students who are being targeted, I have heard from a friend that her daughter wants to change school, that was saddening, but I couldn’t explain to her that wherever she may go she will be bullied for running away from problems isn’t a solution.

We, teachers, are also facing some problems because this pandemic has forced us to come out of our comfort zone, we now take live classes, where we are judged by many.

What we wear, how we teach, what mistakes we may make are all visible. But, the advantage is that we are now better prepared than ever, for we don’t want to be put in a tight situation for everyone to ridicule.

Teachers are being trained online and personally speaking some sessions are so boring that I dozed off and that got me thinking again about my students, from nine to two they have to take online classes, maybe they might be dozing off too.

No matter how prepared the teacher has come to take the online class, but does it guarantee that their students will learn in rapt attention, we are losing out on the emotional bonding that we used to have with these kids.

They are left with a smartphone with internet facilities and I don’t think they will use it only for educational purposes.

Thus, in the cosmos of my mind, I concluded that children have been the worst hit by this pandemic.

However, bringing a positive note to my observance I believe that the real heroes and heroines of this pandemic also happens to be our students.

It’s been more than a year that these bundles of raw energy are being forced to stay hidden, cloistered and it’s so unnatural.

Me being a teacher, 5^th September holds a special place in my heart. It’s that time when I and my female colleagues all gather together, plan what to wear and though silly it may sound, we all feel so special on this day.

This year I feel I learned a lot from my students. Their resilience, their hidden talents that I get to see when they send me their art form or songs video clips on WhatsApp.

I always try to motivate them by writing a positive thought every day but to tell you all the truth, the real positivity comes from them, our students.

To know what a smothering environment they are living in and in their coping up with the present situation makes me inspired to move on in life in faith.

This teacher’s day I bow down to each one of my students, they are my real gurus, my idols, and my hope in the belief that light shines the brightest where it is the darkest.

Writes: Trilochana Rai. She can be reached at trilochanarai@gmail.com

The post My Students, My Teachers, My School appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

“Teachers are expected  to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times the Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools,and it has been so.“

Life under lockdown poses a set of unfamiliar challenges for everyone.No one is immune as we struggle to adapt to this new existence , but teachers in particular are facing extraordinary pressures. The  shutting of the schools in haste allowed little time for extensive planning of either distance learning or on site care of vulnerable children and those of key workers.  Teachers with varying degrees of technical expertise were thrust into the world of the virtual classroom. Suddenly out of the blue a profession fundamentally social and calls for human interaction had to make major adjustments.

Perhaps to the casual observer, the new routine of online classroom teacher looks like one of comparative ease, working from home on full pay, with some online lessons to set, minimal marking and no classroom disruption to worry about. How could this not be a release from the stress and overload so often cited as the things driving teachers from the profession? However trust me this is no extended holiday, but rather a time of uncertainty, anxiety and a burning sense of responsibility.

More than half the teachers are working longer than their average 60 hours week and most are still regularly attending school to provide care at the local educational hub.

ADAPTATION BLUES

Meanwhile 62 % of the primary and 78 % of the secondary teachers are working from home. Some, of course, have to balance the demands of their own families and childcare with the need to offer distance learning for their classes. A host of educational apps, most sophisticated technology, are being offered and gradually we are shifting to the hi-tech virtual classes.

Honestly speaking, necessity HAS BECOME THE MOTHER OF ADAPTATION  rather than invention. This confronts an immediate concern to be addressed  to this distance learning which is creating  a rift  between the have not’s and the haves, in terms of access to education.

How is this challenged been met by the schools in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong? despite the political instability, economic constraints, geography restrains, isolated in the far-flung villages and tea gardens needs a speculation.

 No doubt most of the institutions have worked around the clock to impart the best online education, through zoom, Google meet, Facebook , whatsapp, YouTube, sizzling with creativity, high-tech methods creating a classroom environment to engage the students. Despite the pay-cuts, future insecurities and the fear of the virus, the teachers have been the front-line warriors in this  battle field .

  But what worries us all is the widening gap between the able and the struggling, the privileged and the vulnerable. How can students access to internet from a place like Todey, Samthar, Gitdubling, Maria Busty, Kagay where the landslides are swallowing the villages, where the kids  have to walk up the hill of 5kms to get access to internet, where they have no smart phones nor computers, where a simple phone is being shared by  many houses. More than online learning, is the fear of drop outs, the falling students out of education especially in the government schools loom large.

THE TRAILBLAZERS – St. Philomena’s, Kalimpong

But as they say, even the darkest cloud always has a silver lining. I pick up an exemplary school who dared not depend on 100 percent online functionality as most of the students  hail from more than 12 villages at the periphery, of Kalimpong town. St. Philomena’s Girls Higher Secondary School a legendary educational hub  to impart quality education to the Girl child of the rural areas. Run by sisters of St. Joseph Cluny have come out with an innovative method to partially solve the problem to make education 100 percent inclusive to the rural areas. No doubt the online classes through whatsapp is a daily framed work, but the major vehicle is the midday meal. A comprehensive West Bengal Government Programme to ensure free midday meal to the students from the Primary to the mid-secondary.

From the 1^st to the 14^th of every month is the greatest event in the quarantine days for the Philominites. Along with the midday meal the questions of every subject framed by the respective teachers are distributed to the parents  along with the essentials of the midday meal. Then the School Principal, along with a group of dedicated teachers are seen in a jeep or a pick-up toggling along the rough broken trails of the villages carrying the essentials of the midday meal and the question papers which are distributed to the parents at some vintage points of the village. The students then submit their workout sheets via their parents at the next midday meal, and the papers reach the school handed to the respective teachers after the papers are quarantined. This unending process have made it possible to connect the teachers with more than 2000 students without any elaborate technology. This earnest effort of the Principal, the Superior, all the sisters and the dedicated staff both office and fourth grade is worthy, and is to be appreciated.

This is just an isolated example, but I know there are other such institutions and teachers working likewise. I know there is a great anxiety among the teaching fraternity; there are unresolved questions, and future uncertainty.

WE APPLAUD YOU TEACHERS

While a push towards remote learning is understandable in these trying times, the current system is insufficient to serve as a suitable alternative to in- person learning. Following the current trajectory, an inability or unwillingness to build and strengthen the online infrastructure will push the  vulnerable and disadvantaged even further into the margins of the society and may even leave them behind. The government must work to bridge the gaps in access by improving internet infrastructure and connectivity and by subsidizing mobile data to make learning through whatsapp or other media platform more affordable.

We know the Pandemic will be here for a while, but the teaching fraternity will not stop in  playing catch up, not only in finding ways to teach effectively virtually, but also in trying to mold  their curriculum to fit a format which was not originally meant for .

So my dear teachers, don’t be tired of testing your students ad nauseum. Don’t let your heart sink low when the parents and administration don’t support you. You are incredibly resilient and adapting to the radical changes that is demanded of  you.

I beg of you my friends, please don’t ever judge the profession or your effeteness as an educator. For YOU are the Game Changer.

Happy Teacher’s Day.

[Writes: Theckla Dhakal]

The post Dear Teachers: You are the game changer appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

As youngsters we have all come across all four kinds of teachers, there are some who merely teach for the sake of teaching and earning their salary… while there are others who do take teaching more seriously and explain things to the students…

There a few teachers who go out of their way to not just teach or explain but also demonstrate on how things actually work in real life…

However, there is a rare breed of teachers who INSPIRE A GENERATION

TheDC team sends our warmest regards and heartfelt GRATITUDE to all the TEACHERS who have taught, explained, demonstrated and inspired us all…

Whatever we are today, is a reflection of our teachers…

So celebrate if your students are doing great… CELEBRATE …. as it reflects the greatness of your teachings…

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!!

………………

Don’t forget to TAG your favourite teachers

The post Happy Teachers Day – Dear Teachers appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.