“Goa only State where teachers taught throughout the pandemic” is a cheerful headline that emboldens the spirit of all teachers. They accepted the good and the bad with equanimity. They reacted to this situation with aplomb. The teachers had to stretch their pedagogical techniques to transmit the knowledge in the most efficient way under these testing times. The teachers have remained resilient and adaptable as each household of India turned into a classroom. Though Goa has achieved the said feat, the travails of a teacher remain the same throughout India and across the world.
Recent research published in SAGE journal says nearly 1.6 billion learners have been affected in more than 200 countries due to the history’s biggest disruption in education caused by the pandemic. The teachers of the world had a mammoth task to perform, and since then have been valiant in the enraged war. Quickly, online platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom and the like were taken as panacea for the said disruption. “Flipped learning” methodology that was gaining momentum in teaching-learning process suddenly took centre stage. The teachers don’t mean to create children with eidetic memories but foster critical thinking and inquisitiveness. Online teaching was a hedge.
An online survey conducted by Learning Spiral underpinned the roller coaster of digital learning through their finding that 84% of teachers faced difficulties having online classes. In some parts of India, teachers had to face the wrath of disrespectful students who mocked at online classes, logged in using sham IDs thereby exasperating teachers and disturbing the sanctity of teaching environment.
However, not all experiences were bitter as some students genuinely put in efforts to learn concepts that needed debate and discussion. Teachers also yearn for the conversations that ensued with the students in the classroom that frequently went in tangential mode from the topic of the subject. Those hushed dialogues, reprimanding those who acted unruly while rewarding those who were praiseworthy is missed.
The teachers have toiled at preparing for lectures and study materials for students despite majority of teachers being amateur at the know-how of technology. Teachers have been altruistic throughout these tough times. Since the pandemic broke out, teachers have been exposed to a host of new challenges, one of them being the students’ ‘academic and abilities’ assessment which has taken a serious beating. Teachers are challenged with setting question papers in such a way that they will assess the overall ability of students’ understanding of the concepts and applicability of matters taught.
The comforting physical connect between a teacher and student has been dissolved by the blank screens of online classes. Teachers are unable to streamline and channelise the wandering thoughts of children. The educational institutions that once hosted Brownian movement of students have now ebbed into a mere concrete structure. Tense examination days have been transformed to relaxed moods. All of this is further exacerbated due to connectivity issues faced at times. But the truth is, a teacher will always remain a teacher, guardian, a mentor, a role model, a counselor and all those unsaid roles.
