Shortlisted Entries
Lovey Gupta
- Age: 34
- City: Delhi
Every year, the month of April is all about a new journey, new excitement, and new goals, be it for a teacher or a student. But this year was different, as coronavirus has forced the educators to rethink and redesign the ideas of teaching. It affected everyone without exception and completely upended daily life, especially for teachers and students.
We all know that at the frontline, medical and safety personnel are playing a vital role in this pandemic situation, but the dedicated torchbearers - teachers have undoubtedly added to the list of Coronavirus Outbreak Heroes.
Educationists became acutely aware that childrens learning must continue through this period of uncertainty and an effective schedule needs to be carved for students. After exhaustive research, our seniors decided to go ahead with online classes. Being a tech savvy person and a computer teacher, I was assigned the responsibility of training teachers and students on how to use the digital platform. Overcoming all apprehension and realizing the need of the hour, I decided to take multiple training sessions. It was a tough grind mastering and making everyone learn the process of virtual teaching. I put in a lot of hard work and dedication, burning the midnight oil so that a vibrant learning environment for our students can be created. Daily team meetings, multiple sessions were conducted to resolve numerous issues like taking virtual attendance, content development, virtual assemblies, and assessments. I also assisted as co-teacher to the teachers who were not technically sound and were finding it very hard conducting the virtual classes.
The utmost challenge was not limited to train teachers but to get all the students on this learning platform. I continuously resolved innumerable issues faced by parents and students during virtual classes. Additionally, I also had to continuously guide and support special needs students either through calls, WhatsApp messages, or by sending class materials and recordings through emails.
But yes,I did it and will continue to do my best, with the sole aim of the overall development of our children. Teachers deserve appreciation for a swift response to this pandemic situation amid the lockdown restrictions. It would be immoral not to mention the patience and dedication of the parents as well. Working from home, taking care of kids and elderly, managing household chores all by themselves along with home schooling is really a big challenge for them as well. Lets continue learning as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam quoted -
Learning gives creativity, Creativity leads to thinking,
Thinking leads to knowledge, Knowledge makes you great."